A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana...

A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana described Turkey's decision to postpone hanging Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan as "a firm step in the right direction" as Ankara tries to join the 15-nation bloc. "We (note) the fact that the execution is not going to be carried out and we assume that in the future the execution of Mr Ocalan is not going to be carried out. It's good news for us," a spokesman for the European Commission, the EU's executive, said. The Council of Europe, which groups European countries in support of democracy and human rights, hailed the postponement as well. "We congratulate the Turkish government on its decision. We trust its full value will be appreciated in Turkey's rapprochement to the European Union," Council Secretary General Walter Schwimmer and the president of its parliamentary assembly, Lord Russell-Johnston, said a joint statement. "This is a courageous decision which comforts all those who work to abolish the death penalty in Europe," they said, voicing hope that it was a first step towards abolishing the death penalty in Turkey.