Walter Schwimmer on official visit to Italy
The Council of Europe Secretary General has begun an official three-day visit to Italy, in the light of the forthcoming Italian presidency of the EU. In Rome, he will meet Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Chairman of the Italian Senate's Committee for Foreign Affairs Fiorello Provera, Justice Minister Roberto Castelli, Minister for Communitarian Policy Rocco Buttiglione and other high-level officials. In Naples, on 14 March, the Secretary General will visit the Maison de la Méditerranée, at the invitation of Claudio Azzolini, President of the Italian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. He will present the Mediterranean Peace Prize to Father Elia Chacour, a Palestinian Catholic priest who converted to Judaism in order to highlight the close relations between monotheistic religions.
Speech by Walter Schwimmer at the Dragan foundation

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Italy and the CoE

Italian Government site

Walter Schwimmer joins with the future Italian Presidency of the EU in a political conspectus
[13 MAR 2003] Council of Europe Secretary General Walter Schwimmer, and the Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini discussed the future Italian Presidency of the EU this morning in Rome. They identified themes of common action for the two European institutions such as migration and fighting terrorism and traffic in human beings. The issues of Serbia and Montenegro, after the murder of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, the future Moldovan Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers and the contribution expected of Italy in the monitoring of media throughout Europe were also addressed.

Biographies
Walter Schwimmer, Council of Europe Secretary General
Franco Frattini, Italian Foreign Minister
Claudio Azzolini, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assemble Vice-President
Pietro Ercole Ago, Permanent Representative of Italy to the Council of Europe