LONDON, ENGLAND.- The British Museum has admitted that it sold 30 pieces of Benin bronze during the 1950's and 1060's. Pressure also grew on the museum to return disputed treasures, such as the Elgin marble. Although the museum insists that its claim to inalienable ownership of the bronzes and other artefacts such as the Elgin marbles was not affected. The institution used to respond to any restitution claim that it was forbidden to dispose of items. The Nigerian parliament passed a resolution to submit an official request for the return of the bronzes. Brian Durrans, keeper of ethnography, the department which sold the bronzes, said: "I do not accept that this is an episode which has any bearing on the debate over the marbles. The disposals were not wanton or large scale, and the intentions behind it were honourable, but I regret the loss of these pieces to the collection. The law was originally intended to protect the collections made in previous years from the whim of today's collectors."