http://www.gulfnews.com/world/United_Kingdom/10080591.html
Published: 11/07/2006 12:00 AM (UAE) Blair against death penalty for Saddam Agencies London: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday that he opposes the death penalty for Saddam Hussain, putting him at odds with his close ally US President George W. Bush. Tony Blair stands by his European Union colleagues, who are calling for the death penalty not to be applied, and not with his American allies, but he does not intend to protest the sentence. Speaking at a monthly news conference on Monday, he said Britain opposed capital punishment and when pressed on the issue added, "We are against the death penalty, whether it's Saddam or anybody else. However, Blair repeatedly referred to Saddam's brutal reign as leader of Iraq, "The trial of Saddam gives us a chance to see again what the past in Iraq was, the brutality, the tyranny, the hundreds of thousands of people he killed, the wars in which there were a million casualties." US President George W. Bush praised the death sentence on Sunday saying it was a 'milestone in the Iraqi people's efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law'. However, the EU's 25 governments are strongly opposed to the death penalty and are concerned that executing the former Iraqi president may stir further violent reactions in an already volatile country. "A country ravaged by violence and death does not need more violence and especially not a state-orchestrated execution," said Terry Davis, secretary-general of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly. "Saddam Hussain is a criminal and should not be allowed to become a martyr." European leaders said Saddam's crimes did not change their view that state-sponsored killing was wrong. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
