THE HAGUE, 13/03/08 - The centre-left D66 party wants the Netherlands to negotiate with the UK about the fate of a 19-year-old Iranian homosexual. He risks execution if he is sent back to Iran, MP Boris van der Ham claims.

The Council of State, the highest administrative court, rejected an appeal on Tuesday that the man had lodged against his rejection as asylum seeker by Justice State Secretary Nebahat Albayrak. The court declared that his case was not admissible because he had previously applied for asylum in the United Kingdom, where he was rejected.

EU legislation specifies that the first country where a person applies for asylum is responsible for the asylum procedure. The 19-year-old is therefore in custody in the Netherlands while awaiting deportation to the UK. For the British, the homosexuality of the Iranian is not a reason for granting him a residence permit.

Albayrak had earlier stated that she was confident that the UK would not expel the man if his life is at risk. However, Van der Ham is asking Albayrak to discuss the issue with the UK to ensure that the man is not sent back to Iran. "In England, he will almost certainly be given a one-way ticket to Iran."