Egypt is accusing the Louvre Museum in the French capital Paris of buying five Egyptian stelae in 1980 which it knew had been stolen from a tomb in Luxor. The Egyptian authorities are suspending all co-operation with the Louvre until the inscribed stone fragments are returned.

This means the French museum will be unable to continue archaeological work at the ancient Egyptian city of Saqqara, south of Cairo. The Louvre says it is open to the idea of returning the works but that the process will not be simple.

The five stelae have been exhibited for some time at the Louvre and observers say Egypt's move is aimed against UNESCO, which has its headquarters in Paris. Last month, Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni was rejected as the new director of UNESCO.

photo: the Louvre (flickr / Zigar)