Unesco slams the new 7 wonders list
Lisbon: The UN body for culture on Sunday blasted a private initiative that drew nearly 100 million Internet and telephone voters to choose seven "new" wonders of the world. "This campaign responds to other criteria and objectives than that of Unesco in the field of heritage," said Sue Williams, the spokeswoman for Unesco, the UN cultural body that designates world heritage sites. "We have a much broader vision," she said. Short-listed sites that missed the final cut included the Acropolis in Athens; Paris' Eiffel Tower; the Easter Island statues; Britain's Stonehenge; Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples; New York's Statue of Liberty; and the Alhambra in Spain. Christian Manhart, Unesco's press officer, criticised the ballot, saying it sent out a "negative message to countries whose sites have not been retained." All of these wonders obviously deserve a place on the list, but what disturbs us is that the list is limited ...