LEON QUIZZES WHITE HOUSE ON ODYSSEY
By Brian Reyes
The controversy over sunken treasure recovered by US company Odyssey Marine Exploration has reached the White House. Bernardino León, Spain’s secretary of state for foreign affairs, told reporters he had raised the matter during a meeting with officials from the White House National Security Council.
He was basing his questions on a statement by George Bush in 2001, in which the president said the US would defend the right of nation states over their sovereign ships.
“Spain has asked for information from the US about the importation across US borders of a series of archaeological remains that Spain considers have been recovered from a Spanish flag ship, a state ship,” Sr León was quoted by Spanish media as saying.
“We have no information [on the treasure haul],” he added.
“We know there are coins, we know there are other objects.”
“We have an idea of what wreck they may have come from, and where it might lie.”
Sr León said Spain would like for its archaeologists to be able to examine the items recovered by Odyssey from the seabed.