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Britain last week finally decided to sign the 1970 UNESCO convention that
lets member countries recover stolen antiquities that surface in other members’
markets. This gives them some chance of recovering illegal exports. Britain is a
hotbed for dealing in stolen art and antiquities, second only to the US. The
trade could be worth as much £5 billion a year—and it will still be
legal. “It’s a totally daft situation,” says Peter Addyman, director of the York
Archaeological Trust. Most other Western countries, apart from the US, have
already signed the convention.