§ Mr. Caton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to help ensure that the Afghanistan elections in June 2004 are free and fair. [127130]
§ Mr. Mike O'Brien:We welcome the establishment on 26 July of the Afghan Interim Management Body. We are encouraging the Transitional Administration to ensure the necessary preparations are made for free and fair elections, including a law on political parties to encourage the formation of national political groupings which renounce violence and espouse democratic principles.
£1 million of DFID funds and a further £2 million of joint FCO/DFID/MOD funding has been allocated so far to support the United Nations programme for voter registration in Afghanistan. We are also working with the European Commission to secure further support for Afghanistan's electoral process.