Museum rejects Greek minister's deal on Elgin Marbles

The Greek government made its first official approach to the British Museum for the return of the Elgin Marbles yesterday.

During a visit to London the Greek Culture Minister, Evangelos Venizelos, presented proposals to remove the sculptures from the museum, which has kept them since 1816.

The Greek government wants to display the marbles in a proposed museum next to the Parthenon in Athens as part of a cultural programme to coincide with the Olympics in 2004.

The marbles, carved in the fifth century BC, were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, who was the British ambassador to Greece, and brought to Britain in 1801. He sold them to the British museum 10 years later.

Mr Venizelos will take his campaign to Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, during his visit. Today he will present his proposals on providing a fitting home for the sculptures at a public meeting in Congress House in London with the architect and director of the proposed Acropolis museum.

In return for the British Museum's co-operation, it would be given a selection of Greek treasures on rolling loan, an attraction that may help it to clear projected debts of £5m.

The stones have caused friction between Athens and London since they came to Britain and the matter was raised two weeks ago in talks between Costas Simitis, the Greek Prime Minister, and Tony Blair in Downing Street.

The marbles also have a history of dividing opinion in Britain. Campaigners who want to keep them argue that they have been saved from damage or destruction by air pollution in Athens, but last January a group of actors and MPs launched a campaign, Parthenon 2004, for the marbles' return. The staging of the Olympics has given the campaign fresh impetus and prompted Mr Venizelos's approach to the museum yesterday.

Neil MacGregor, the museum's director, said: "The trustees' position is that the marbles are an integral part of the British Museum and they cannot be leant without damaging the museum's role. There is no question of putting it back on the Parthenon, you can't recover what's lost."

He added: "This is the first time an official spokesman actually put to the museum an official proposal."