WEST BANK: While meeting Palestinian officials, the UK's foreign secretary condemns Iran's planned execution of a woman and vows to correct a law exposing Israeli officials to arrest in the UK

Record ID: 560236

  • Title: WEST BANK: While meeting Palestinian officials, the UK's foreign secretary condemns Iran's planned execution of a woman and vows to correct a law exposing Israeli officials to arrest in the UK
  • Date: 4th November 2010
  • Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 3, 2010) (REUTERS) UK FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS SECRETARY WILLIAM HAGUE SHAKING HANDS WITH PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD PALESTINIAN AND UK FLAGS HAGUE AND FAYYAD SITTING AND TALKING
  • Embargoed: 19th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVABMPD2GH24ENZN73HM5Z5KYC33
  • Story Text: While meeting Palestinian officials, the UK's foreign secretary condemns Iran's planned execution of a woman and vows to correct a law exposing Israeli officials to arrest in the UK.
    British Foreign Minister William Hague on Wednesday (November 3) condemned Iran's planned execution of woman accused of adultery, while meeting Palestinian officials in the West Bank.
    "I think this is a barbaric punishment, I think it will damage Iran in the eyes of the world. It will be much better not to proceed with it. I think many people across the world are outraged by the punishment, and by the prospects of it being carried out and I would urge them (Iran), even now, to desist from it," Hague told reporters in Ramallah.
    A human rights group said on Wednesday that the Iranian woman whose sentence of execution by stoning provoked a world-wide outcry will instead be hanged for murder. Officials in Iran were not available to confirm or deny the report, but an Iranian government spokesman said in September Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's adultery conviction was under review but the charge of being complicit in the murder of her husband was still pending.
    Under the Islamic law in force in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, murder is punishable by hanging and adultery by stoning.
    Hague, on a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, also reacted to Israel's announcement it has stopped sending delegations for routine strategic talks with Britain out of fear pro-Palestinian activists would seek their arrest for alleged war crimes.
    The announcement showed Israeli frustration at successive London governments' failure to repeal laws allowing private war crimes suits to be filed against foreign dignitaries.
    Since 2005, several serving and former Israeli leaders have cancelled trips to Britain after being warned they could be arrested for their role in military crackdowns on Palestinians.
    The latest was Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, who was scheduled to fly out to Britain last month but, according to Israeli media, received word he would risk prosecution for Israel's May 31 killing of nine Turks aboard a Gaza aid convoy.
    "It's important that Israeli politicians are able to visit the United Kingdom, we are changing the law, it doesn't just affect Israel, it can affect other countries as well, so that any arrest in the United Kingdom as a universal jurisdiction would have to be one that had a reasonable prospect for prosecution, so that it is not used for trivial or political reasons. And we will soon be putting out the first changes in the law to the British parliament on that, and they will go through," Hague said.
    Britain's Conservative-led government, like its Labour predecessor, has pledged to trim the "universal jurisdiction" provisions empowering magistrates to order the arrest of foreign nationals for alleged offences committed abroad. British officials have said the government expects to introduce the new law at the end of November. Both Israel and Britain sought to play down the impact of the suspension of their "strategic dialogue".
    Also in Ramallah, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki reacted to the results of U.S. midterm elections and their possible impact on peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
    "Until this moment it is premature to comment on this issue but the White House and the foreign ministry said that despite the elections results, the American decision will not be affected and it will continue its efforts in order to reach a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Malki said.
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