Vol. 500 No. 5
86 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he has contacted other Governments with a view to the abolition of the death penalty; if these matters will be pursued on a case by case basis; if not, if they will be pursued by way of general submission to the authorities in other jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4510/99]
I reiterate the Government's total opposition to the use of the death penalty and to assure the Deputy that we are in regular contact with other governments in our efforts to promote universal abolition of its use.
In co-operation with EU partners, we have drawn up agreed guidelines on the death penalty which promote its abolition and, where states insist on its retention, seek the upholding of basic minimum standards. The EU continues to press for abolition and in the past six months has issued démarches on the use of the death penalty in a number of countries including, inter alia, the Sudan, Benin, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, the Palestinian Authority, the Philippines, Sierra Leone and the United States. EU policy in this area also dictates that countries should be given every assistance in introducing a moratorium or abolishing capital punishment. In this regard, we have publicly welcomed and supported such decisions in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Kirgizstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
In a UN context, Ireland will also continue to play a leading role in support of universal abolition of the death penalty. At the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the EU will sponsor a resolution on this issue. In the past, Ireland was one of the strongest sponsors of this resolution and we welcome the fact that it has now been taken on as an EU initiative. We hope to build on the success we have achieved to date and persuade more governments to reject the use of this cruel punishment.
