Peru Asks Obama for Help Over Artifacts at Yale

Peru's government is formally asking President Barack Obama to assist its efforts to get Yale University to return thousands of artifacts taken from the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.

In a letter to Obama on Tuesday, President Alan Garcia said it was "just and necessary" for Obama to intervene so the South American nation can recover its cultural heritage.

The Peruvian government and Yale are at odds over possession of the artifacts. Peru demands their return, while Yale hopes to negotiate a settlement over the artifacts, which were removed about a century ago.