Spain: Only thing to discuss with U.S. firm is return of treasure
Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Posted: 05:19 PM



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Madrid, Nov 18, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX) -- OMEX |



).- Spain's Culture Ministry said Tuesday that it had received "no
offer of any kind" from Odyssey Marine Exploration to share $500
million in coins, adding that the only thing Madrid wants to discuss
with the U.S. treasure-hunting firm is "the complete return of all the
cultural wealth it plundered."


The ministry was responding to a proposal from Odyssey to come to an
understanding on the fate of the gold and silver the treasure hunters
recovered in 2007, prompting Spain to file suit in U.S. federal court
demanding the return of the haul.


One day after turning over to the court more than 1,000 pages rebutting
Spanish government claims about the origin of the treasure, Odyssey
President Greg Stemm said Tuesday that he was holding out hope that
Madrid would accept an "amicable" resolution to the contentious legal
wrangle.


In addition to Spain, the Peruvian government has demanded property
rights to the gold and silver coins found by Odyssey.


Moreover, the descendents of the early-19th-century businessmen who
allegedly owned the coins and other valuable objects found on the
sunken wreck have expressed their interest in demanding property
rights.


The Tampa court must now decide if it will accept the motion by the
Spanish government, which is demanding that all objects recovered from
the wreck should be under the sovereign immunity of the Kingdom of
Spain.


Odyssey said in its submission to the court that since the recovery
site held no human remains or items identifying the ship, Madrid has no
way of proving that the treasure came from Nuestra Señora de Las
Mercedes, a frigate sunk by British warships in October 1804 after a
battle in which more than 250 Spaniards died.


In a statement signed by Stemm, Odyssey said that the pieces recovered
were spread over a wide area where there was no sign of the ship.


"Nothing recovered or seen in the information collected from the 'Black
Swan' confirms its identity," Stemm said.


"The conclusions reached by Spain as to the identity of the place are
based on circumstantial evidence and ignore the evidence gathered
suggesting that the shipwreck of the Las Mercedes could be located
somewhere else," Odyssey said.


Among the evidence cited by Stemm is the fact that the frigate was
carrying twice the number of coins recovered by Odyssey.


The Tampa-based firm had until midnight Monday to answer the brief
filed by Spain on Sept. 22.


The Spanish government said that the evidence is "abundant and
definitive" and adds that the ship from which Odyssey took the treasure
is the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes.


Madrid also says that the remains of the Las Mercedes belong to a
marine cemetery protected by the principle of sovereign immunity.


U.S. lawyer James Goold, who is representing the Spanish government in
the legal dispute, said last month that "it is very well documented and
is a historical fact" that the Mercedes sank with more than 250
Spaniards - including sailors and civilians - on board.


Spain's Culture Ministry also accuses Odyssey of carrying out the
"underwater excavation in secret after having received specific
instructions that it was prohibited." EFE