§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 286W Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will reconsider the need for the reservation to Article 68 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which retained the right to impose the death penalty in occupied territories without regard to whether the offence was punishable by death under the law of the occupied territory at the time when the occupation began.
§ Mr. GodberAs part of our contribution to the present international discussions on the reaffirmation and development of the Geneva Conventions on the Protection of War Victims, we have decided that our reservation to Article 68 is no longer necessary and we are taking steps to effect its formal withdrawal.