"The reports in recent days about the looting of Iraq's National Museum of Antiquities and the destruction of countless artifacts that document the cradle of Western civilization have troubled me deeply, a feeling that is shared by many other Americans," Sullivan wrote in a letter released Thursday.

Sullivan said he was resigning as chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on Cultural Property, a position he had held since 1995. In the letter, which was dated Monday, Sullivan said the "tragedy" was not prevented "due to our nation's inaction."

Another panel member, Gary Vikan, also plans to resign because of the looting of the museum, local media reports said. The 11-member advisory committee is appointed by the president.

The Iraqi National Museum, which housed a priceless collection dating back 7,000 years to the Sumerian civilization, was looted over two days following the fall of Baghdad last week.

In the absence of any security presence, the looters exacted what experts believe was a heavy toll on the museum and its collection, stored in 28 galleries and vaults, including the loss of perhaps 50,000 irreplaceable artifacts and the burning of museum records.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday rejected charges the US military was to blame for failing to prevent the looting, saying it is difficult to stop when looting happens in a war zone.

But antiquities experts said US military planners had assured them that Iraq's historic artifacts and sites would be protected by occupying forces. US archeological organizations and the UN's cultural agency UNESCO said they had provided US officials with information about Iraq's cultural heritage and archeological sites months before the war began.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)