Baghdad, June 12: The 5,000-year-old sacred vase of Warka, a Baghdad museum centrepiece feared stolen in post-war looting, was returned today in the back of a car, a spokesman for the US-led administration said. The vase was "one of the most important" of 47 items still unaccounted for among the museums's pre-war permanent exhibition of 8,000 items.

Dating back to 3,200 BC, the priceless Sumerian treasure was unearthed by German archaeologists in 1940 near the southern city of Samawa.

"It was returned literally in the back of a car by some Iraqi citizens who realised its importance to Iraq's cultural heritage," the spokesman said.

By chance the vase's unexpected and unceremonious return coincided with a visit to the museum by the senior coalition adviser in the Iraqi culture ministry, Piero Cordone.

"This is one of the most important pieces from the Baghdad museum and I am delighted it has been returned," the Italian advisor said.

"I shared the concerns of the international museum community that the vase may not be retrieved. This is reason for people all around the world to celebrate."

Cordone said he had been relieved that investigations by the coalition had shown the number of artefacts missing from the museum was far smaller than originally feared.

Just 3,000 of around 170,000 items originally reported stolen in post-war looting still remain unaccounted for. Of 8,000 items of world-class value, only 46 are now still missing.

Bureau Report