Louvre to return Egyptian frescos

The Louvre museum in Paris will return five ancient fresco fragments to Egypt within weeks, France's government says.

The announcement comes two days after the head of antiquities in Cairo said he would cease all co-operation with the museum until they were sent back.

The Egyptians say the Louvre bought the Pharaonic steles in 2000 even though it knew they had been stolen in the 1980s.

They are believed to be from a 3,200-year-old tomb of the cleric, Tetaki, in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor.

The steles, which are each only 15cm (5.9in) wide and 30cm (11.8in) high, are currently part of the Louvre's reserve collection.

'Acquired in good faith'

The decision to return the disputed fragments came after the French Culture Minister, Frederic Mitterrand, convened a special meeting of a national committee empowered to rule on restitution.