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Paris, March 9 (No.2001-36) – UNESCO has not received any confirmation of the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura continues his efforts to mobilize political and religious leaders to protect the heritage of Afghanistan.

Mr Matsuura welcomed news that a high-level Pakistani delegation is expected to reach Afghanistan tomorrow. The Director-General this week had contacted the Pakistan leader Pervez Musharraf to seek his personal support in the campaign UNESCO is currently waging to save the pre-Islamic statues of Afghanistan. During the discussion, General Musharraf pledged to send a high-level delegation to meet with Mullah Omar.

UNESCO is presently seeking to form a delegation of Ulemas (religious leaders) who could travel to Kabul in the coming days. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, following his conversation with Mr Matsuura, has taken the initiative of asking an eminent Moslem scholar to meet Taliban authorities to demonstrate the error in their interpretation of the law of Islam.

The States of the Asia-Pacific Region today adopted a declaration of support for the actions undertaken by UNESCO, notably the creation of a special fund for the preservation of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage. They further encouraged UNESCO to “study carefully the constructive proposals and efforts made by numerous countries in the region to assure the security and preservation of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan, including through their temporary relocation.”