The head of Jordan's customs department, Mahmoud Qoteishat, told the daily that the paintings were confiscated and border officials instructed to take the necessary measures to seize any stolen artefacts from the Iraq.

He said this should include anything stolen from the Iraqi national museum, national library or any other item taken from the war-battered country, Al Dustour said.

A border official at Al Karama confirmed to AFP that more than 40 "paintings" were seized from journalists entering Jordan from Iraq in the past few days and sent to the central customs department in Amman.

Bahjat Massade, an assistant to Al Karama customs director, said it was up to the central customs office in Amman to determine the exact nature of the items confiscated at the border.

"We are seizing anything that looks suspect and we send it to Amman for authentification," he added.

The UN cultural organisation UNESCO has urged Iraq's neighbours and the international police, Interpol, to keep their eyes open for any items from Iraq which could be stolen from its museums.

UNESCO chief Koichiro Matsuura has also called for a "heritage police" to be set up in Iraq to protect the country's archaeological treasures, as experts said organised gangs were behind much of the looting.

SPACE.WIRE