To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the level of unrest related to the general elections in Bangladesh; what action her Department is taking (a) to support the UN Envoy to that country and (b) to ensure that the elections are free and fair; and which (i) UK and (ii) international observers she expects to be present at those elections. (107101)

Elections are scheduled for January 2007 in Bangladesh. It is vital for the future of Bangladesh that these elections are seen to be free, fair and peaceful, and that the result reflects the will of the people. We are concerned about the levels of political violence in the country. My right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield, the Minister for Trade, stressed to political leaders and the media the importance of positive issue-based dialogue and campaigning to the exclusion of violence when he visited Dhaka on 22-23 November. Through the Department for International Development we are providing support to Bangladeshi non-governmental organisations working to promote non-violence, and issue-based campaigning. We have urged the political parties to demonstrate leadership by publicly calling for peace and restraint.

We take a close interest in preparations for elections and stand ready to help where we can. International observers will have an important role to play in validating the outcome of the elections.

We fully support the efforts of the international partners including the UN, the EU, the US National Democratic Institute and the Commonwealth to this end. The Commonwealth and the EU have both announced that they will send election observation missions to Bangladesh. The UK expects to participate in the EU observation mission.