ITALY HAILS EU DECISION ON DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM

Breaking the hesitations and faltering of the past, the Council of EU Foreign Ministers made a formal commitment to presenting a proposal for an international moratorium on the death penalty at the beginning of the next UN General Assembly in September. Italy's lengthy campaign ended successfully, after it was hindered by the reservations of some partners, particularly London. Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema did not achieve the goal of presenting a resolution to the current UN assembly. However, the Italian Government managed to correct an original draft (which had been endorsed by the EU Commission and the 26 partners) which simply delayed the decision until September. Italy was helped by French Minister Bernard Kouchner, who was supported by Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos, and the current president, Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier. D'Alema stated the decision "represents a great success for Italy and those who have fought against the death penalty." He suggested that the moratorium proposal should be supported by "at least 35 other countries from various areas in the world, and he was "sure that it will be possible to have the support of the UN majority." However, considering the previous three failures of similar motions it was not a foregone conclusion. EU Policies Minister Emma Bonino said: "I believe that the success is the result of the tenacity and the very high personal costs paid by the Radical Party members, who pressured the Italian Government to ensure there were no more indefinite delays."