E/CN.4/1989/15 page 2 6. Other allegations refer to torture practised to instil fear and terror in order to prevent civil strife or to situations of excessively harsh treatment of detainees. Here the opportunities for Governments to take effective steps to put an end to such practices are much greater, since the Government is in full control of the situation. In other cases allegations do not refer to a systematic or regular practice of torture, but to complaints by individuals which reportedly have not been satisfactorily investigated by the authorities. In submitting allegations to Governments the Special Rapporteur does not take a position with regard to their well-foundedness. He merely asks the Government concerned to carry out an investigation and to inform him about its outcome. In some cases, the Special Rapporteur is provided with an extensive report about the investigation and its results; sometimes he is given an explanation as to why the investigation was inconclusive; in other cases, however, the allegation is merely denied or even labelled as slanderous. The Special Rapporteur feels that replies of the latter type do not sufficiently reflect the unequivocal commitment, entered into by all Governments and by the international community of States as a whole, to eradicate torture and to take all necessary measures to prevent its occurrence. 7. The Special Rapporteur again received invitations from three Governments to visit their country. He deeply appreciated these invitations from the Governments of Peru, the Republic of Korea and Turkey and gladly accepted them. He feels that consultations with the authorities in situ are an extremely effective instrument for carrying out his mandate. Through discussions with government officials, professional organizations and other non-governmental organizations, he is in a position to find out where there are still deficiencies in that country's system of law enforcement and to make concrete and specific recommendations for improvements. It should be pointed out that such visits have a consultative character and that the Special Rapporteur does not carry out investigations into specific allegations during such visits. It has been suggested from time to time to the Special Rapporteur that a Government, by extending an invitation to him, would admit that torture is actually practised in that country. The Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize in this respect that, irrespective of the question whether torture did occur or still occurs in countries visited by him, such a visit should be seen mainly in the light of prevention of torture. 8. Since no society is immune to torture and since torture may take place everywhere, the need to take effective preventive measures is relevant for all countries. Just as the parties to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment have declared themselves willing to admit independent experts to their places of detention, irrespective of whether allegations of torture have been made, in order to enable those experts to recommend improvements, in the same way an invitation to the Special Rapporteur should first and foremost be seen as an expression of the firm intention of the Government to put an effective ban on torture. Of course it is also possible for a Government to ask the Special Rapporteur to carry out an investigation in situ into specific allegations of torture. Until now the Special Rapporteur has not received an invitation of this kind. 9. The number of States which have become parties to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is steadily increasing. As of 31 December 1988, 39 States had ratified the Convention or had acceded to it; 6 belong to the African Group, 3 to the Asian Group, 7 to the Eastern European Group, 10 to the