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36-year-old British lawyer Amal Clooney and her colleagues from the London law firm Doughty Street Chambers, Geoffrey Robertson and Norman Palmer, met today with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. The Greek Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the British lawyers for their highly valuable support to Greece on an issue that is of great importance for it. The three lawyers are in Athens at the invitation of the Greek government and they are exploring the facts concerning the legal protection of Greece’s request for the return of the Parthenon Marbles that are in the British Museum at present.

     At noon the group of lawyers, accompanied by Culture Minister Konstantinos Tasoulas, visited the Acropolis Museum, where director Dimitris Pandermalis himself showed them around. Dressed in an elegant suit in the colour of ivory and fine as a statuette, Amal Clooney looked like a live figure from the Acropolis - a very pleasant surprise for many tourists who did not stop taking pictures of her.
     After visiting the museum, the British lawyers held a press conference. Amal Clooney defined as "fair" Greece’s request for the return of the marbles that Lord Elgin had taken. "It is time to return the marbles to Greece.  The international community, the European Parliament and the public opinion in Britain want this too. This injustice has lasted too long. The issue may be resolved in favour of both sides and the entire civilization," said Mrs. Clooney.

     She described the talks with the Greek authorities as "productive". Asked if the law firm Doughty Street Chambers will undertake the legal protection of the Greek state in this dispute, Amal Clooney replied, "The Greek side prefers to resolve the dispute in good faith. Let us see the result from the formal request to UNESCO to mediate this dispute. Then your government will decide on the next steps."
     To another journalist's question, namely whether George Clooney will help the return of the Parthenon Marbles, the lawyer replied that her husband unreservedly supports all efforts in this direction. Her colleague Norman Palmer expressed the hope that a mutually beneficial solution for the marbles would be found, but other options should also be explored. Geoffrey Robertson determined the behaviour of the British Museum as "immoral" and said that the whole planet must unite in this case. The lawyer said that the British government has to respond to the request for the return of the marbles by 30 March 2015.
    The three British lawyers are invited to dinner tonight by Vardis and Marianna Vardinogianni, who is a goodwill ambassador of UNESCO for the return of the marbles from the British Museum.
     Meanwhile the Bar Association in Athens protested to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos in connection with their invitation to the British law firm. According to the Association, the Greek lawyers are able to do the same job too.
     A publication in the left newspaper "Avgi" makes it clear that the airfares of the three lawyers alone and the car and driver hired for their travelling in Athens cost the Greek state 10,885 euro.