Some antiquities returned to Iraq

Violence has fallen across Iraq in recent months and artifacts of the country’s National Museum are trickling back -- about 6,000 have been returned of the 15,000 or so that went missing in the chaos that erupted following the U.S. invasion in 2003. But Iraqi authorities are taking no chances, and will not reopen the museum until security is assured.

“We cannot risk displaying the treasures we have unless we have guarantees that security is 100% stable in Baghdad and the area surrounding the museum,” Amira Eidan, director of Iraq’s antiquities and museums, said in an interview.

Renovations are proceeding, however, and several countries have donated or pledged cash and expertise, Eidan said.