FRANCE today said it hoped already bloody sectarian strife in Iraq would not worsen as a result of the death sentence delivered to Saddam Hussein. “I hope this decision will not lead to new tensions and that the Iraqis will show restraint, whatever community they belong to,” Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said. | He said that France was, on principle, opposed to the death penalty everywhere and held “a constant position in favour of its universal abolition”. |
He said that France was, on principle, opposed to the death penalty everywhere and held “a constant position in favour of its universal abolition”. The minister said France and its EU partners would attempt to make this stance known to Iraqi authorities.