Written question asked by Lady Hermon (Ulster Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 25 February 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 March 2004. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 March 2004 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the earliest possible date for the holding of elections in Iraq; and what steps he is taking to expedite such an election.

Answer: Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the earliest possible date for the holding of elections in Iraq; and what steps he is taking to expedite such an election. [157652] Mr. Rammell: The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, visited Iraq in February to look into the processes and timing of elections. His report, issued on 23 February, made clear that elections were not feasible before the end of 2004 at the earliest. We accept this assessment and stand ready to support the UN and the Iraqis in preparing for elections based on the UN's suggested timetable. We have worked hard with the Iraqis to agree a Transitional Administrative Law, an essential step towards early elections.

Secondary information