dr. gerstenblith. i know how much you've worked on this over the years, we have the bill that has been introduced. to try to address this, this is coming back from the senate this week, could you speak maybe about this concept of protecting and preserving cultural property through these -- through this kind of legislation? >> thank you, mr. royce, and thank you for your leadership on hr 1493. as i mentioned before, currently there's no legal mechanism clearly in place, that would prohibit the import of antiquities from syria into the united states. i will say prospectively, that situation applies to libya where isil seems to be moving next. in order to prevent these objects from coming to the united states, but to convince the middlemen and dealers and looters along the way, that they will not be able to sell these things in the united states, it's important that they understand that the united states will not be a market for these looted objects, and only by cutting down on market demand can we convin

dr. gerstenblith.for example, why don't we ban cultural treasures from other countries? how do we determine these are reason versus something that actually has evolved in the marketplace. are we hurting much in demand antiquities trade potentially. and finally, are we enabling the a side regime which you testified here today is just as district about the cultural treasures as isis ever was and why we therefore institutionalized their control of this iphones. they then sell them themselves. >> i'm not sure how we're institutionalizing are helping the assad regime. if they were forfeited -- >> title is transferred to the united states government. i don't think that will happen as long as assad is in power. who knows what government is going to emerge at the end of the day, but i would imagine this to be at a point when relations are normalized with whatever government in syria. i don't see this as helping out the regime. i agree that they ardoing off the bat things, too. what we call the normal -- there

dr. gerstenblith. i know how much you've worked on this over the years, we have the bill that has been introduced. 1493. to try to address this, this is coming back from the senate this week, could you speak maybe about this concept of protecting and preserving cultural property through these -- through this kind of legislation? >> thank you, mr. royce, and thank you for your leadership on hr 1493. as i mentioned before, currently there's no legal mechanism clearly in place, that would prohibit the import of antiquities from syria into the united states. i will say prospectively, that situation applies to libya where isil seems to be moving next. in order to prevent these objects from coming to the united states, but to convince the middlemen and dealers and looters along the way, that they will not be able to sell these things in the united states, it's important that they understand that the united states will not be a market for these looted objects, and only by cutting down on market demand can we

dr. gerstenblith received her bachelors from bryn mawr college, ph. d. in art history and anthropology from harvard, and jd from northwestern university. dr. al-azm is an associate professor at shawnee state university. content as an associate professor come educator in the uk reading archaeology of western asiatic at university college london and graduated with a doctoral degree in 1991. he was the direct of scientific and conservation laboratories at the general department of antiquities and museums in syria and taught at the university of damascus until 2006. from 2006-2009 he was visiting assistant professor at brigham young university. is an active member of the syrian opposition says an executive committee of the day after project. mr. shindell is the chairman of in your head coder aris title insurancinsurance corporation, n of a nasdaq traded argo group, international insurance company. they are the world leader in securing legal ownership to non-real estate property assets for multiple industry sectors. he readily advises them speaks and writes i

dr. patty gerstenblith is a profession at the bepaul university of school of law. a distinguished research professor and director of its center for art, museum and cultural heritage law. she's founding president of the lawyers committee for cult call heritage preservation, dreblt tore of the u.s. committee of blue shield and senior advise tore the aba's art and cultural law committee. in 2011 she was apointed by president obama to serve as the chair of the president's cultural property advisory committee in the u.s. department of state. previously, she was editor and chief of the international journal of cultural property. the doctor received the bachelor of gilmore college and j.d. from northwestern university. dr. amr al azm is an associate professor of history and anthropology in ohio he was educated in the uk, reading archaeology of western at the university college london and graduated with a docket ral degree in 1991. he was the director of scientific and concentration lab or the irs at the general department of antiquities and museums in syria and taught at

dr. patty gerstenblith is a distinguished professor at the depaul university school of law.nt of the lawyers committee for cultural preservation. and the director of the u.s. committee of the blue shield. senior adviser to the aba's art and cultural heritage committee. in 2011, she was appointed to serve as the chair of the president's cultural property committee in the u.s. department of state. previously, she was editor in chief of the journal of cultural property. she received her bachelor from bryn mawr college, phd in heart history -- art history from harvard university. -- i san associate professor at shawnee state university. he's an associate professor of history and apology, indicated in the u.k., reading archaeology of western asiatics in london and graduating with a doctoral degree in 1991. he was the director of scientific and conservation laboratories at the general department of antiquities in syria, and taught at the university of damascus until 2006. from 2006 till 2009, he was assistant professor at brigham young university. he's an active member of the syri