UNESCO urges protection of cultural heritage in Libya

UNESCO on Wednesday called on both Libya and multinational forces implementing a no-fly zone over the country to keep military operations away from cultural heritage sites.

Eight out of 10 countries involved in military intervention in Libya had endorsed the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, so they should respect the terms, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement.

Libya "is of great importance to humanity as a whole," Bokova said.

"Several major sites bear witness to the great technical and artistic achievements of the ancestors of the people (of Libya), and constitute a precious legacy," she said.

Libya has five sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List: the Old Town of Ghadames in a desert oasis, Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus, and the three archaeological sites of Cyrene, Leptis Magna and Sabratha, which have histories of more than 1,000 years.

Source: Xinhua

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