§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government regarding the death sentence imposed on Abdullah Ocalan. [118831]
§ Mr. VazI met the Turkish Foreign Minister during his visit to the UK in September 1999 and expressed our opposition to capital punishment under any circumstances. The Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), repeated this message to the Turkish Ambassador in December 1999. In the regular meetings between British and Turkish officials, we consistently make clear to the Turkish authorities our opposition to the death penalty as a matter of principle.
The UK also supported the statements by the EU Presidency on 29 June and 25 November 1999, which confirmed our opposition to the death penalty imposed upon Mr. Ocalan. Our general position on capital punishment was most recently restated at the EU-Turkey Association Council on 11 April by the EU Presidency.
We welcome the Turkish Government's decision in January to await the outcome of Mr. Ocalan's appeal to the ECHR before taking further action and have urged them to maintain the moratorium on capital punishment which has been in place for 15 years.