ACCG, IAPN and PNG Press FOIA Claims

For an update of the ACCG-IAPN-PNG FOIA litigation against the State Department see:
http://www.accg.us/issues/news/accg-presses-claims-to-hidden-information

Significantly, immediate past CPAC Chairman, Jay Kislak, has submitted a supporting Declaration. See: http://www.accg.us/issues/news/Kislak%20Dec.pdf

That Declaration indicates that greater transparency is necessary to allow museums and members of the public to make informed presentations to CPAC. Mr. Kislak also supports the release of CPAC's recommendations concerning Cypriot coins. He states release of this material should clarify official State Department documentation that falsely suggests that CPAC agreed with the controversial decision to impose import restrictions on coins of Cypriot type.

The numismatic groups have also contested the State Department’s search for responsive records to or from Maria Kouroupas, the Executive Director of the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center, and to or from former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns. Both Kouroupas and Burns are believed to have played important roles in changing then existing precedent exempting coins from import restrictions.

The Court is expected to decide within the next six (6) months whether the State Department is entitled to withhold the remaining information at issue.