PARIS, Oct 18 (KUNA) – French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has instructed one of his senior, roving ambassadors to attend a human rights conference in Rabat, October 18-20, the Foreign Minister’s press service announced.
Ambassador Francois Zimeray, whose official title is Ambassador for Human Rights, has regularly travelled the globe, urging States to respect human rights.
In Morocco, he will gather together with representatives of civil society and governments from across the Middle East and North Africa to discuss the abolition of the death penalty.
Capital punishment is still on the books in more than one third of the world’s nations and Fabius on October 9 launched a global campaign to pressure countries either to abolish executions or at least put a moratorium on the carrying out of death sentences.
The Rabat conference will bring together 400 participants to discuss the situation in their countries, most of which still use the death penalty, although some have put a moratorium on this use.
French sources said that there would be representatives – official and civil – from Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, all of whom currently have a moratorium on capital executions.
Representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Libya, the Palestinian Territories and Yemen, are also attending.
“In a region that is feeling the effects of strong democratic aspirations, States which observe moratoriums for several years will be encouraged to take the step towards abolition and to clearly commit at this time to voting the United Nations General Assembly resolution call for a universal moratorium, which is expected (to be voted) next December,” the French Foreign Ministry said. (End) jk.ajs KUNA 181513 Oct 12NNNN
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