Italy and France on Monday urged Iraq not to execute Saddam Hussein, saying it would be ethically wrong and would risk pushing the country towards civil war. "In the dramatic, difficult situation in Iraq, the execution of Saddam Hussein could push the country towards a real civil war," Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema told reporters after meeting French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy in Paris. "This is the reason for the appeal we are sending to the Iraqi authorities -- to the democratic authorities of Iraq, which we respect and support -- that the sentence should not be carried out," he said. "So for purely ethical reasons, Saddam Hussein should not suffer the death penalty," he said. "But above all, you also have to think that the situation in Iraq is excessively worrying and we are on the brink of civil war."Douste-Blazy said France and the European Union were opposed to the death penalty and wanted to see it abolished worldwide.

In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain opposed the death penalty. But he repeatedly declined to say directly whether he thought Saddam should be executed, saying it was a matter for Iraqis to decide. His carefully-worded comments reflect the balance between upholding Britain's long-standing opposition to capital punishment while not being seen to criticise the U.S.-backed Iraqi court that sentenced Saddam. "We are against the death penalty, whether it is Saddam or anybody else," Blair told a news conference.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, speaking to reporters during a visit to London, said: "Italy is against the death penalty so even in such a dramatic case as Saddam Hussein, we still think the death penalty must not be put into action."

Finland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said on Sunday the bloc was opposed to the death penalty and did not believe Saddam should be executed.