Guatemalan lawmakers began debating a presidential...

Guatemalan lawmakers began debating a presidential request to ban capital punishment.
The bill will be analyzed first by a 12-member congressional legislation and constitutional issues commission before returning to the full Congress with the group's recommendation.
Committee chairman Otto Cabrera, a proponent of the death penalty, said the commission has 60 days to reach its decision.
According to the President Alfonso Portillo's proposal, the Guatemalan Supreme Court would commute the death sentences of some 30 people facing execution to 50-year prison terms.
The head of Congress, retired Gen. Jose Efrain Rios Montt, has proposed holding a referendum to let the Guatemalan people decide the controversial matter.