The international tour of Iraq's greatest treasure, the Nimrud gold, should begin in Washington, DC, next February. The date was set in Copenhagen on 17 March by the Iraqi ministry of culture and United Exhibits Group (UEG), the Danish commercial venture organising the show.

The Art Newspaper can reveal that the first venue for the Nimrud treasures is the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, part of the Smithsonian Institution. Various formalities have to be completed before the exhibition is officially announced, in a few weeks' time.

Related: Assyrian Treasures from the city of Kalhu (Nimrud)

There are likely to be around ten venues, after Washington, and these will probably include museums in Berlin, London and Paris. The tour of "The Gold of Nimrud" should raise around $10m for Iraq's National Museum.

The centrepiece of the show will be an accurate full-size reconstruction of the throne room of the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud. The site was discovered by Sir Austin Layard in 1848. British Museum archaeologist Max Mallowan (husband of Agatha Christie) excavated the throne room in 1950, but failed to locate the tombs of the queens.

In 1991 Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmu found the tombs, with the thousands of pieces of gold. The treasure was then stored in the vaults of the national bank. Those who have seen it compare it with that of Tutankhamun.

The reconstruction of the east end of the throne room is being made by Madrid-based firm Factum Arte. They have done this by scanning excavated Nimrud reliefs in the British Museum, Berlin's Pergamon Museum, Princeton's Art Museum, the Sackler Gallery at Harvard and the Dresden Museums. Despite initial hopes, it proved impossible to record the remains left on site in Nimrud and other fragments in Mosul and Baghdad, because of security problems. The reconstruction is being made in resin, and is almost finished.

International tour

The latest news of the international tour comes after a series of false starts, but this is the first time that a specific venue and date have been given. We can reveal that the show was to have opened at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery this June, but there were too many problems to be resolved, and a few months ago the Nimrud show was postponed. It has been replaced with "Facing East: Portraits from Asia", which opens at the gallery on 1 July.

There still remain a daunting set of challenges to be overcome before the scheduled opening of the exhibition next February.

There are internal differences within Iraq on the touring show. The ministry of culture is keen, partly because it will bring in much-needed revenue. It has the formal authority and signed last month's agreement.

However, Donny George, former director of the Iraq Museum and now president of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, is against the proposal. Although not speaking publicly, he is believed to be concerned about the security risks and is also uneasy about the involvement of a commercial organiser, the UEG. Dr George is highly regarded by his museum colleagues in Europe and the US, and they would be reluctant to proceed without his blessing.

Vault to airport

Security is a difficult issue. Archaeological specialists are divided over whether it is better to risk the short-term dangers of moving the gold the few miles to the airport or the longer-term risk of leaving it in the Baghdad vault.

The role of the UEG is also controversial. Most archaeologists would have preferred that the show was organised by a non-commercial organisation, but the company has proved adept and persistent in overcoming difficulties in a way that few international museums would be able to do. UEG staff have flown into Baghdad nearly ten times since the downfall of Saddam Hussein, at considerable personal risk.

If the exhibition is to proceed, the full cooperation of the US State Department will be required, and this has proved more difficult than expected. US military protection would be needed to move the treasure inside Iraq and it would also require safeguarding while on American soil.

Back in Washington, the Freer and Sackler Galleries have a financial challenge, since as part of the Smithsonian they do not have entrance fees. The exhibition will be expensive to mount--with payments due to UEG for their services, for the reconstruction of the throne room, and for the Baghdad museum. Sponsorship will therefore be essential. Although a blockbuster exhibition on Assyrian gold would be attractive for a sponsor, anything to do with Iraq is also politically sensitive.

Finally, there are conservation issues. The gold itself needs relatively little attention, but some items incorporate other materials, which do need work. This cannot be done in Baghdad, in the present situation, and if conservation is to be undertaken in America, then the treasures will have to be flown out relatively soon.

Washington show

Dr Julian Raby, a former Oxford scholar and now director of the Freer and Sackler Galleries, is keen to "press ahead" for an opening next February, despite the challenges. Although he is only too aware of the sensitivity of the Iraq exhibition opening in Washington, he is determined that it should not be regarded as "spoils of war".

Dr Raby sees the show as "celebrating Iraq's heritage", presenting a very different picture from the constant news reports of death and destruction. He also regards it as an opportunity for the international museum community to "give something back, in terms of money and training." The funds might well be administered through Unesco, and would be for the use of the museum, rather than going into the coffers of the Iraqi treasury.

The situation is very difficult, but Dr Raby believes there are two choices: "Do you go into a bunker mentality or take the opportunity of the Baghdad museum being closed to do something major outside Iraq?" If the treasures are to be toured, he would like to see them go to institutions with Near East material, so the Nimrud gold can be seen in context and museums can help with conservation and training. Showing the treasures at kunsthalle-style exhibition venues would not provide the same benefits.

Asked whether the February 2007 date is realistic, UEG vice president Amy Seitz told The Art Newspaper: "I am positive. The people we are working with in the Iraqi ministry are optimistic and there is real enthusiasm from the first venue. Once the opening venue is officially announced, we have the support of six venues and interest from 20 others."

Among those which have expressed interest is the British Museum, although it has serious reservations and would only want to go ahead if the venture has the support of Dr George and his colleagues. Last month keeper John Curtis told us: "If our colleagues in the Iraq National Museum are agreeable to the gold leaving the country, and if it goes on a world tour and they want to show it, then the BM would certainly consider having an exhibition here, working closely with our Iraqi colleagues on the display."