Marbles challenge

Greeks plan museum to house disputed statues

Tensions between Greece and Britain over the Elgin marbles were reignited today after it emerged that a £29m Acropolis museum has already been commissioned by the Greek government to house the 2,300-year-old artefacts. Plans for the building, which will stand at the foot of the Acropolis hill are understood to include a glass gallery with windows or roof designed so that the marbles can be seen against the background of the Parthenon.

If the statues - now officially called the Parthenon marbles by both Britain and Greece - are not back when the museum is open, a huge empty space will be left for them in the main hall to remind an expected 3m visitors a year of the British attitude. Nicos Papadakis, a spokesman for the Greek embassy in London, told the Times he thought the plans would send a clear message to Britain.

"We're simply manifesting in a practical way our commitment to completing this project in the expectation that the Parthenon sculptures will grace the new rooms of the museum in Athens." Repeated Greek requests for the full, permanent return of the marbles have so far been curtly refused by the government, although official Labour party policy before the 1997 election was to hand them back.

Today's best video

Today in pictures