Downing Street Says » Death Penalty

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the EU Statement on the sentence in the Saddam Hussein trial, that he should not be executed, the PMOS said that much more to the point, Margaret Beckett’s statement yesterday said that the British Government’s position was that it opposed the death penalty, and the Prime Minister said this morning said that he opposed the death penalty for Saddam Hussein or any body else. What people seem to ignore is the fact that Iraq is a sovereign country, with its own court and therefore it is up to its court what sentence it passes. We could express a view, as we have done through Margaret Beckett and through the Prime Minister this morning, but it is a matter, first and foremost for the Iraqi court. Asked if that meant he was saying the European Union was ignoring the decision of the Iraqi courts as they were in the their statement urging the Iraqis not to execute Saddam Hussein, the PMOS said that we had expressed a view opposing the death penalty as we had done before, at the same time as we have always recognised what sovereignty means.

Asked if the UK had signed up to the EU Statement on the Saddam Hussein sentence the PMOS said he was not aware of the origins of the statement but that we had already expressed our position, which is that we oppose the death penalty wherever it is as he had stated many times previously. At the same time what must be recognised is that Iraqi is a sovereign country, and the court system there is not our business. As Margaret Beckett had expressed the UK was opposed to the death penalty.

Asked if the UK would be making any representation to Iraq over the death penalty the PMOS said that we had always reminded governments of our position on the death penalty. Asked why the case wasn’t tried in the Hague considering that the charges brought against Saddam Hussein were of crimes against humanity, the PMOS replied that he was not a lawyer but Saddam Hussein was an Iraqi citizen, accused of crimes against Iraqi people and he had been tried by an Iraqi court. Asked if that was really the case as Milosovic had been tried in the Hague but his crimes had been in Kosovo the PMOS said again he was not a lawyer.

Asked if it was correct to say that the Government disagreed with the death penalty but would not be taking part in any attempts to dissuade the Iraqi government not to execute Saddam Hussein, the PMOS said that it was incorrect and the journalist was putting words into his mouth. He went on to say, as he had said earlier, that we have reminded the Iraqi Government, and other governments, of our opposition to the death penalty but we respect the sovereignty of individual countries. When repeatedly asked the same question ten different ways the PMOS said that the journalists were dancing on the head of a pin.

Put that reminding a country was one thing but urging them not to use the death penalty was another, the PMOS said that this was again an example where the lobby were attempting to put words into his mouth and that he would resist and put it in his own way which was that we remind governments of our position and clearly we are asking then to consider that position and therefore that is what we do. At the same time we have a democratically elected government, an independent sovereign country, and therefore we should respect that sovereignty just as we would any other country. Asked if we had reminded Iraq of our position or respected the Iraq sovereignty in the last 24 hours, the PMOS said that it was possible to do both but he did not give running commentaries on reminders.

Asked if the matter had been raised with King Abdullah of Jordan, who was visiting the Prime Minister this afternoon, the PMOS said it was up to King Abdullah if he wished to discuss it. Asked what the agenda was for the meeting between King Abdullah and the Prime Minister the PMOS said he thought that the MEPP as a whole, but what was discussed would be clearer after the meeting.

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» Monday, November 6, 2006

Death Penalty

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