A/HRC/4/33 page 17 52. Nevertheless, experience and practical necessity demand that the Special Rapporteur make efforts to hold regular exchanges with his regional counterparts on thematic issues, as well as country situations. Thus, a significant part of his activities has been devoted to strengthening existing cooperation and building new partnerships with regional organizations. 53. The Special Rapporteur draws attention to some recent examples of cooperation with regional organizations: • The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) provided collaboration and support during his visit to Georgia in February 2005, and particularly for facilitating his visit to South Ossetia. • On 13 October 2005, he participated in an inter-agency meeting on the follow-up to the Andijan trials organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to brief other international organizations on the ongoing trials and to brainstorm on a common response and follow-up. • On 10 November 2005, he was received by CPT in Strasbourg, France. Views were exchanged in relation to the prohibition of torture in the context of counter-terrorism measures, particularly with respect to diplomatic assurances and secret places of detention. Promoting ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention and exploring mutual cooperation and coordination, such as in relation to preparation for and follow-up to country visits, were also discussed. On the same day, the Special Rapporteur met with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Mr. T. Davis, the European Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. A. Gil-Robles, and the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe. He was informed that in response to his request for a Council of Europe investigation into alleged secret places of detention in Europe of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Committee called upon the Council’s Secretary-General to investigate the allegations. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the appointment of an investigator and the launching of an investigation on 21 November 2005; he also welcomes the fact that the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe made use of his powers under article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights to request all Council of Europe member States to report on the question of alleged secret CIA places of detention in Europe. • On 7 December 2005, he participated in a discussion on the development of guidelines for diplomatic assurances in the Group of Specialists on Human Rights and the Fight against Terrorism of the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights. • On 22 December 2005, he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on cooperation among international and regional human rights mechanisms in the prevention of torture. • On 18 January 2006, he participated with a member of CPT in an expert talk in Graz, Austria, entitled, “The prohibition of torture. Old problems and new challenges.”