MORATORIUM. AL-KALIFA (UN): I WILL WORK TOWARDS CONSENSUS ON ITALY'S INITIATIVE

February 23, 2007: Sheika Haya Rashed al-Kalifa, president of the UN General Assembly, has confirmed her commitment to ensure Italy's initiative for the universal moratorium on capital punishment is successful. At the end of a meeting with Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Massimo D'Alema, Al-Kalifa said "I have promised to work with the member countries as much as possible so that Italy's initiative on this very important topic achieves consensus".
However, he warned that "every resolution needs time in order to obtain consensus".
Al-Kalifa added, in reference to the USA's stand on the abolition of capital punishment, "I don't think there will be any political reservations on this matter and no single country can halt this discussion".
Mr D'Alema reinforced that Italy "is working towards presenting the moratorium and the abolition of capital punishment to the UN General Assembly".
He stressed how "we are working towards the possibility of adopting, and if possible voting for, a resolution reached by consensus, based on the declaration presented by the EU in September. The declaration has already collected the signature of 89 countries." D'Alema concluded by saying that the President of the UN General Assembly had shown him "her interest and appreciation in an initiative that she saw as having a high moral and political value". (Sources: Adnkronos, 23/02/2007)