The head of the British Museum has said a reported deal with Greece to end a decades-long dispute over the highly contested and priceless Parthenon Marbles was "still some distance" away.
George Osborne's comments came a day after the London Museum confirmed it was holding "constructive" talks with Athens over "sharing" the ancient sculptures, raising the prospect that the friezes might be loaned back to Greece.
"We're looking to see if we can come to some arrangement where at some point some of the sculptures are in Athens, where, of course, they were originally sited," Mr Osborne said on a political podcast he co-hosts.
"And in return, Greece lends us some of its treasures, and we made a lot of progress on that, but we're still some distance from any kind of agreement."
Appearing eager to dampen expectations that any loan deal was imminent, Mr Osborne - a former UK finance minister - noted that he was speaking from New York and not the British capital.
"I would be in London if we were on the verge of reaching an agreement with Greece around the Parthenon sculptures," he added.
Mr Osborne also suggested that he had been given a freer hand in the contentious matter by the new Labour government elected in July and headed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The UK leader hosted his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis yesterday.
It came a year after Mr Starmer's predecessor Rishi Sunak axed a meeting with Greece's leader at the last minute, reportedly over an interview he had given about the marbles.
On his podcast, Osborne noted: "Keir Starmer has said this is very much a matter for the trustees of the British Museum, who are independent of the government.
"And, so it's not the same as Rishi Sunak, who refused to see the Greek Prime Minister ... he sort of stood him up. So it seems to be a more sensible and diplomatic way to proceed."
The Parthenon Marbles, also called the Elgin Marbles, have been a source of contention between Britain and Greece for over two centuries.
Greek authorities maintain that the sculptures were looted in 1802 by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
London claims that the sculptures were "legally acquired" by Elgin, and then sold to the British Museum.
Meanwhile, comments from Athens suggest the two sides are still far apart.
Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis insisted the country will not "back down" on its "ownership" claims.
It echoes the stance of Greece's culture minister Lina Mendoni, who said a year ago that "we are in no way talking about a loan".
A 1963 UK law prevents the British museum from giving away treasures, but it has about 1,400 objects on long-term loan at other museums every year.
Critics have warned that moving the Marbles could set a precedent for other UK museums holding contentious items from around the world.
