In a switch from the usual direction of these things, Egypt has returned an ancient bronze statue which had been looted from Iraq.

According to Zawi Hawass, the smuggler, an Egyptian national working in Jordan, was captured at Nuweiba Sea Port trying to sneak the statue into Egypt.

Not that this wasn’t a fine opportunity for Hawass grind his own axe, of course.

“When the invasion of Iraq began in 2003, we wrote to the British and American governments asking them to protect Iraq’s heritage and museums,” said Hawass. “But that didn’t happen.”

Hawass said that since then his office has been tracking stolen Iraqi artifacts and has recovered some 5,000 items.

Hawass, who is a vigorous campaigner to recover Egypt’s own stolen antiquities, said he will not do business with museums that buy stolen Iraqi artifacts.

It’s all a part of Zawi’s master plan. As are we all. But flies as wanton boys are we to Hawass.

Meanwhile, the statue seems to be of a Mesopotamian fertility goddess, but authorities aren’t certain which one or even how old the figure is.