OIFIG AN AIRE GNOTHAI EACHTRACHA

OFFICE OF THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

BAILEA THA CLIATH 2

DUBLIN 2

Mr. Oliver Dupuis MEP

TRP General Secretary

European Parliament

rue Belliard 97-113

1049 Brussels

Belgium

23 May 1998

Our Ref: POL980300

Dear Mr. Dupuis,

Thank you for your letter of I May regarding the possibility of a resolution on the Death Penalty at the forthcoming UN General Assembly

As the Minister confirmed at our recent meeting in Brussels, and in his recent letter to you, Ireland is completely opposed to the use of the death penalty and is committed to availing of every opportunity to press for its abolition. We were particularly pleased at the success of the resolution in two consecutive years at the Commission on Human Rights. This has established a very important precedent and lays down a marker, in the international arena, that a growing number of countries do not accept use of the death penalty. The Irish Government believes that this growing conviction must be carefully sustained and strengthened by encouraging more States to support this view

It is in this context that we are reviewing the possibility of a resolution at the General Assembly. As you are aware, the General Assembly is a very different body with very different nuances to the Commission. Fifty three countries representing the different regional groupings may vote at the Commission, whereas all UN member states have a vote in New York. The success of the resolution in Geneva in the last two years was, in many respects, due to the composition of membership of the Commission, a membership which was sympathetic to the resolution, but which was not necessarily representative of the views of a majority of States present at the Commission.

We must also bear in mind the consequences of a resolution on the death penalty being defeated, and the message that such a defeat would send to retentionist states. The failure of the resolution at UNGA in 1994 was damaging for the campaign, and the repercussions of such another setback at the General Assembly must be carefully considered.

The Human Rights Unit in the Department, in consultation with our Mission in New York, will carefully examine these issues in the course of our preparations for the Third Committee. We will, of course, also be in close contact with our Italian colleagues and other like-minded countries.

Yours sincerely,

Conor O'Riordan

Private Secretary