-
This interview is copyright-free for publication by your media

Interview with Terry Davis, Council of Europe Secretary General

8 March 2005

Interviewer: So Mr Secretary General, what would be your own hopes and personal expectations for this event?

Terry Davis: Well we all know that the Council of Europe is built on the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. I hope very much that the Summit will affirm those values as our basis.

I hope very much that we will be able to give more resources to democracy in future. The peoples of Europe clearly want more democracy and better democracy. This applies throughout Europe, and not just in one region or another.

At the same time, we must maintain our activities in the fields of human rights and the rule of law and even reinforce our campaign against torture and the campaign against all forms of discrimination.

I also hope that we will be able to develop our work in culture. We should all enjoy the cultural diversity of Europe, and there’s nowhere better than the Council of Europe to do it because we are a pan-European organisation.

Finally of course I hope that we will clarify our relationship with other organisations such as the OSCE, the European Union and the United Nations.