Brussels, 02/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Union has not issued an official declaration in reaction to the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was hanged on 30 December, except to recall that it makes it a principle to oppose capital punishment. Finland's Foreign Minister, Erkki Tuomioja, who was EU Council president until 1 January 20076, said the European Union has always been against the death penalty and that this case was no exception. “There are certainly no doubts about the fact that Saddam Hussein was guilty of serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity, but that does not, as such, justify the acceptance of capital punishment”, he told the Finnish press agency, STT. The United Kingdom, albeit the United States' main ally in the war in Iraq, upheld the stance taken by Europe. “He [Saddam Hussein] has paid” for his crimes, British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said, recalling that London did not support a return to the use of capital punishment either in Iraq or anywhere else. Although the EU is against the death penalty, “Saddam's trial and punishment mean that those who commit crimes against humanity cannot escape justice. His career and legacy show the futility of the politics of violence and terror”, declared External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. She also stressed that the Commission “will continue to give active and substantial support to those who work for reconciliation and progress in Iraq”. (hb)