By Anthee Carassava, In Athens
Human rights barrister Amal Clooney has called on Britain to give up its "intransigence" and start talks with Greece on the return of the Elgin Marbles.
The battle for the Elgin Marbles has become one of the most contentious cultural disputes in recent history.
"This is an injustice that has persisted for too long, and in a world of intractable conflicts," the new wife of Hollywood star George Clooney said.
"Here is one that can be solved in a way that can benefit both parties and humankind altogether.
"The Greek government is in the right to ask for the return of the marbles," she told journalists as she stepped into her first post-wedding job this week.
"Greece has a just cause and it's high time for the British Museum to recognise this and return them."
The Lebanese-born barrister's remarks capped a three-day working visit to Athens to advise the Greek government on how it can best pursue its claims to win back the marble treasures, taken from the Parthenon and sold to the British Museum by Scottish diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.
As part of a legal delegation led by Geoffrey Robertson of Doughty Street Chambers, Mrs Clooney has been advising the Greeks on the dispute since 2011, insisting on a legal fight Greeks have been trying to avoid, fearing a rift in bilateral relations with Britain.
Earlier this month, though, UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural organisation called on Britain to enter into a process of mediation with the Greeks in order to settle the 200-year-old dispute.
Britain has six months - until April - to respond.
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Gallery: Clooney And Bride: First Appearance Since Tying The Knot
The morning after: Actor George Clooney and his new wife Amal Alamuddin have made their first appearance since tying the knot
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They left their seven-star hotel in Venice for a luxurious trip around the romantic Italian city
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It is rumoured the couple are planning a second civil ceremony on Monday
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But for now, the glamorous couple are enjoying their first day of married life
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They took a water taxi on a tour of the Grand Canal in Venice
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The couple posed for photographs, with the paparazzi keen to get the first snaps of the famous bachelor as a married man
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Clooney and human rights lawyer Alamuddin wed in the glamorous Aman Canal Grande Venice on Saturday
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Clooney was pictured making his way to a gala dinner ahead of the lavish ceremony
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As were a number of the celebrity guests...
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... including actor Bill Murray
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U2 frontman Bono flashes his trademark salute
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Anna Wintour was also among the guests
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Matt Damon, one of several A-listers invited
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Ahead of the wedding, Clooney and his Lebanon-born British fiancee were photographed on a water taxi taking a tour of the floating city
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The couple arrived at the hotel on a boat appropriately called 'Amore'
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The world's media has descended on Venice but the pair seemed happy to pose for photos
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Clooney with businessman Rande Gerber who was his best man
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Ms Alamuddin was seen carrying a hat box displaying the letters A and G and the word Venice to mark the occasion
"British intransigence has for years precluded a chance of negotiation. Now is the time to right that wrong," Mrs Clooney said.
The lawyers did not divulge details of the strategy they planned to follow if Britain turned down the request.
They did not, however, rule out seeking recourse through the international courts if Britain refused to respond to UNESCO's request.
"It's an option we have to consider," said lawyer Konstantinos Tasoulas.
The ancient artefacts are statues which originally adorned the Parthenon temple in Athens, which was built in the 5th century BC.
Elgin removed about half of them between 1801 and 1805 after seeking permission from the Ottoman authorities who were then occupying Greece.
Generations of Greeks - most famously the actress and politician Melina Mercouri - have lobbied for their return.
The British Museum says it is holding the marbles, and its other treasures, "in trust for the nation and world" and insists their legal status is clearly defined in the Britism Museum Act.
On its website, the British Museum says: "The sculptures from the Parthenon have come to act as a focus for Western European culture and civilisation, and have found a home in a museum that grew out of the eighteenth-century 'Enlightenment', with its emphasis on developing a shared common culture that goes beyond national boundaries."
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