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Mr. Williamson H.KGD.
United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations 845 Third Avenue New York NY 10022
RPD Chatterjie Esq
UND
FCO
Your reference
Our reference
nato
12 November 1980
435
Dear Robin,
UNGA 35: THIRD COMMITTEE: FRG INITIATIVE ON ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
1.
I enclose a copy of a draft resolution circulated by the FRG this morning at a meeting of the Third Committee Nine. As you will see, the draft contains as an attachment a draft Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights providing for permanent abolition of the death penalty by States Parties to it.
2. The Germans said they wanted to maintain public discussion of the matter as a follow-up to the recent Caracas Crime Congress. They did not wish to embarrass members of the Nine which had not yet abolished the death penalty. Accordingly they had limited the operative paragraphs of the draft resolution to taking note of the draft Protocol and inviting Governments to comment, with a view to further consideration at UNGA 36. They stressed that any Protocol eventually negotiated would be optional, and would not affect States Parties to the Covenant that did not also wish to become Parties to the new Protocol.
3.
The Germans have it in mind to introduce the draft resolution at this session under item 65. It is clearly understood that it would be an initiative of the PRC (and not of the Nine).
4.
At the meeting the Dutch and Danes welcomed the draft and said they would probably be abl upport it. They offered minor drafting suggestions on the text of tae esolution, which the Germans said they would take into account in preparing, as soon as possible, a revised draft. (We will let you have any amendments incorporated by the Germans in a new draft by telegram or telephone.)
5.
The Belgians, while welcoming the initiative, suggested that the Germans should coordinate with the Swedes, who are drafting a resolution on the same matter. The French said they would need to seek instructions; they could not comment in the meantime except to say that the proposal would need to be considered in Paris in the light of French legislation. We also said we would need instructions, but that our preliminary reaction must be one of reservation. Capital punishment had not been completely abolished in the UK, nor
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