Culture Director General Pedro Olloqui said Wednesday that "although this is not the time to intensify the controversy," "it is evidently institutional disloyalty." "It completely violates the spirit of Poblet, where just a few weeks ago the presidents of the autonomous communities involved in the Crown of Aragon met. The president of the Generalitat and the president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, played especially prominent roles," he said.
Olloqui also reiterated the idea that the Government of Aragon is aware of the new schedule because "it has been published in various media outlets." "We are awaiting official communication. We are optimistic. We believe the return of the Sijena murals, belonging to the group known as the profane paintings, is imminent. It has been approved by the Huesca Provincial Heritage Commission, and we are very optimistic," he said.
The MNAC sent a "proposed schedule and work plan" after the Catalan museum postponed the schedule set by the Government of Aragon, between October 19 and November 5, following the Huesca Provincial Cultural Heritage Commission meeting held last October. It should be recalled that the maximum deadline established in the contract between the MNAC and SIT, the company responsible for the transfer, is November 30.
"We are not going to dwell on this institutional disloyalty, this institutional hostility that is taking place. We hope to have good news in the coming hours or days, and we will communicate it promptly. I do want to point out that the Government of Aragon is working with the seriousness that characterizes it, and with the utmost responsibility to guarantee the paintings' proper reception. We have also worked to test the consolidation and restoration methods that the paintings may require, in a first-rate facility such as Sijena Monastery, as could not be otherwise. We will not accept oversight from Catalan institutions in the exercise of our powers, which include the protection and defense of our heritage," he concluded.
