SPEECH BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

FOR MR FEDERICO MAYOR ZARAGOZA,

PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY

(Strasbourg, Thursday 14 April 2011, 16.30 P.M.)

Welcoming words for Mr. Mayor, invited speaker at the debate on the report of Ms Renate Wohlwend on the death penalty in CoE observer states.

I am pleased to welcome our distinguished guest, Mr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, President of the International Commission against the Death Penalty. Mr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, you had an impressive career not only as a Spanish parliamentarian, but also as Minister of Education and Science, and Director General of UNESCO, a post which you held for 12 years and during which you addressed our Assembly back in 1988.

The International Commission was established on 7 October 2010 in Madrid, at the initiative of the Spanish Government, in order to promote world-wide abolition of the death penalty. We can therefore consider the Commission and its distinguished President as an ally of the Council of Europe and of our Assembly, which has already succeeded in making almost all of Europe – with the obvious exception of Belarus – a death penalty free zone.

Thank you very much for accepting our invitation, Mr Mayor. We now look forward to hearing your address. You have the floor.