Letter to the swedish foreign affairs minister, Lena HJELM-WALLEN, on the questions of Death penalty abolition and institution of the international criminal court

To the attention of Mrs Lena HJELM-WALLEN

Foreign Affaires Minister

Sweden

Brussels, June 5th 1996

Dear Madam,

we would like to call your attention to three initiatives that Sweden could take, in collaboration with other countries also sensible to these questions, among the international institutions in general and the United Nations in particular.

These three questions are: the universal abolition of the death penalty; the institution of the Permanent International Penal Court and the freedom of Tibet.

Concerning the question of the universal abolition of the death penalty, we believe that the conditions exist to propound a new resolution to the General Assembly of the United Nations in favor of a moratorium of the capital executions. As you remember, during a former attempt in 1994, it was only with 7 votes that a similar resolution has been rejected. As you know, the number of abolitionist countries has since been considerably reinforced, following to the adhesion of numerous Central and Oriental European countries to the Council of Europe.

Therefore we believe that if a small nucleus of determined countries would promote it this year, a new attempt could be prized with success. Besides the Netherlands and Belgium and Luxembourg, countries that have a privileged relationship, we believe that countries such as Ireland, South-Africa and Ukrainia could be interested in this initiative.

As for the institution of a Permanent International Penal Court, as you know, a Preparatory Committee, brilliantly presided by M. Boss, has been in charge of proceeding the final touch of this Court's Statute and should transfer the results of its work at the next General Assembly. Even if the work presently proceeds satisfactory, the risk remains of having the conclusion of it removed to a later date, which would prevent at the same time the General Assembly to convoke, in 1997, the Constitutive Plenipotentiary Conference of the Court. In order to conjure such risk, we joined an appeal addressed to the Secretary General and the members of the Preparatory Committee (you can find it enclosed). Nevertheless, without any action from the Member States, there is the risk of not being sufficient.

The third initiative that we would like to call your attention to is related to Tibet. We believe indeed that the miserable results obtained in Geneva at the Commission of Human Rights have to incite us to multiply our efforts in order to finally have the UN to face the tragic situation of these people. Therefore about 700 parliamentarians from over the world have already subscribed the appeal to the Secretary General of the United Nations, that he may receive the Dalai Lama as soon as possible in order to understand with him the modalities of a pacific resolution of this conflict. You will find enclosed the appeal and the list of the first subscribers. Evidently, here too, the support of the member-states is essential.

Hoping that these initiatives will attract your attention and remaining at your entire disposition, we greet you, Madam Minister.

Yours faithfully.

Maj-Lis LÖÖW, MEP Hadar CARS, MEP Olivier DUPUIS, MEP

Secretary of the

Transnational

Radical Party

Enclosed:

- the appeal to the Secretary General and to the members of the Preparatory Committee in favour of the institution of a Permanent International Penal Court and the list of the first subscribers;

- the appeal to the Secretary General of the United Nations that he may receive the Dalai Lama as soon as possible and the list of the first subscribers.