12 CPT: 14TH GENERAL REPORT ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES The Convention establishing the CPT 18. On 3 March 2004, the Convention was signed and ratified by Serbia and Montenegro, thereby bringing the number of Parties to 45. In other words, the CPT’s field of operations once again encompasses all member States of the Council of Europe. The Convention entered into force in respect of Serbia and Montenegro on 1 July 2004 and, as already indicated, the CPT’s first periodic visit to this new Party will take place in the near future. 19. In anticipation of the above-mentioned ratification, consultations took place with a view to ensuring the application of the Convention throughout the territory of Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo (which currently is under interim international administration). The CPT made clear its wish to pursue its mandate in Kosovo. However, the Committee also stressed that it must enjoy there – as elsewhere – all the rights and powers it holds under the Convention, including access to all places of deprivation of liberty; on this issue there can be no compromise. On 30 June 2004, the Committee of Ministers approved the text of an Agreement between the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Council of Europe on technical arrangements related to the Convention, and the Agreement was signed in Pristina on 23 August 2004 by the Head of UNMIK and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The text of the Agreement is reproduced in Appendix 8. Under the Agreement, the CPT enjoys access to any place within Kosovo where persons are deprived of their liberty by an authority of UNMIK, under exactly the same conditions as those laid down in the Convention. Before the CPT can commence its activities in Kosovo, similar arrangements of a binding nature must be concluded with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on the subject of places of detention in Kosovo administered by KFOR. Consultations are currently underway with NATO authorities on this subject. CPT membership 20. Six new CPT members took up office during the twelve months covered by this General Report: Mr Zbigniew HOLDA (in respect of Poland), Mr Lätif HÜSEYNOV (Azerbaijan), Ms Asya KHACHATRYAN (Armenia), Mr Vladimir ORTAKOV (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”), Mr Joan-Miquel RASCAGNÈRES (Andorra) and Mr Stanislav VALKO (Slovakia). Further, the following members were reelected: Mr Mario FELICE (Malta), Mr Petros MICHAELIDES (Cyprus), Mr Marc NÈVE (Belgium) and Mr Florin STĂNESCU (Romania). At the time of publication of this General Report, the CPT has 36 members2. The seats in respect of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, and Ukraine are vacant. Certain of these seats have been empty for a considerable time; the CPT trusts that a solution to this problem will be found. 21. The following members of the CPT left the Committee during the last twelve months, on the expiry of their terms of office: Mr Antoni ALEIX CAMP (elected in respect of Andorra), Mr Eugenijus GEFENAS (Lithuania), Mr Pétur HAUKSSON (Iceland), Mr Adam ŁAPTAŠ (Poland) and Mr Nikola MATOVSKI (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”). Further, the CPT learned with sadness of the death in May 2004 of Mr Volodymyr YEVINTOV; he had been the member in respect of Ukraine since November 1998 and served for two years as the Committee’s Second Vice-President. The CPT wishes to place on record its gratitude to the above persons for their contributions to the Committee’s work. 2 See Appendix 5 for the list of CPT members. Abridged curricula vitae of the members can be obtained from the Committee’s Secretariat and are posted on the CPT’s website (www.cpt.coe.int).