Greece in ‘preliminary’ talks with British Museum about Parthenon marbles

Officials say they have met with George Osborne, and are keen to see the masterpieces back in Athens

Senior Greek officials have been in preliminary" talks with the British Museum in what could amount to a tectonic shift in resolving the world's longest-running cultural dispute: the repatriation of the 5th-century Parthenon marbles to Athens.

Revelations about the negotiations were first reported on Saturday by Ta Nea, which said that officials including the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had met George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, in a five-star London hotel as recently as Monday.