10 CPT: 16TH GENERAL REPORT Meetings and working methods 18. The CPT held three one-week plenary sessions during the twelve months covered by this General Report – in November 2005, and March and July 2006. A total of 20 visit reports were adopted by the Committee at these meetings, eleven of them according to the expedited procedure (under which draft visit reports circulated at least two weeks before a plenary session are adopted without debate, save for paragraphs in respect of which a discussion has been specifically requested in advance). Besides the adoption of visit reports, plenary sessions are the occasion to review the ongoing dialogue with Parties to the Convention, hold thematic discussions on issues related to the CPT’s mandate and prepare future visits. Much of this activity takes place in the context of subgroups of the Committee – delegations responsible for visits, the medical group, the working group on the Committee’s “jurisprudence”, etc. Recent guests at plenary sessions for exchanges of views on issues of topical interest have included the UN Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, Manfred Nowak, the outgoing Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, Alvaro Gil-Robles, and the incoming Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg. 19. The CPT has continued to seek to intensify its on-going dialogue with certain States by means of high-level talks outside the framework of a given visit. Reference might be made in this connection to the talks between senior Russian officials and representatives of the CPT, held in Moscow on 24 and 25 April 2006; they focused on the Committee’s findings during the 2005 periodic visit to the Russian Federation. Further, on 19 June 2006 the CPT’s President and First VicePresident held discussions in Ankara with the Minister of Justice of Turkey concerning the continuing difficulties of access to Imralı island for the relatives and lawyers of Abdullah Öcalan. 20. The CPT continues to seize opportunities for promoting synergy with other bodies. This frequently includes contacts during visits with field missions of the European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the OSCE and the UNHCR. The CPT welcomes every opportunity to contribute to discussions within the Council of Europe concerning matters related to the Committee’s mandate. For example, the Committee was pleased to have been invited to take part in the meetings of the Group of specialists on human rights and the fight against terrorism (DH-S-TER) which focused on the use of diplomatic assurances in the context of expulsion procedures. The CPT also appreciates the opportunities afforded to it by numerous invitations to participate in meetings of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, where the Committee can not only provide information on its activities but, equally importantly, exchange experiences and ideas. Further, as already indicated in the Preface to this General Report, the CPT places a premium on the closest possible synergy with the Subcommittee on Prevention soon to be established under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture. 21. Reference has been made in previous General Reports to the idea of organising a pilot project in a limited number of countries amongst those experiencing difficulties with the implementation of the CPT’s recommendations, especially those requiring significant financial investment. Following an open tender process launched at the end of 2005, the Research Institute for Human Rights and Social Justice at London Metropolitan University was selected to carry out the pilot project in Albania, Georgia and Moldova. The objective is to conduct a study in each of these countries in order to assess their needs as regards the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations, to identify concrete areas and proposals for outside assistance, and to seek external financing. A final report containing specific proposals should be available before the end of 2006. The CPT is grateful to the Governments of Luxembourg and Turkey for their voluntary financial contributions which permitted the pilot project to be implemented.