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Democratic Republic of Congo

: That is a good point and that matter formed one of the main focuses of our visit. There is room for some optimism that there will be more or less effective elections across the DRC, although perhaps not to the standards of the UK. The position will be more difficult in rural areas. We were struck by how many people had their IDs to vote and by the apparent effectiveness with which MONUC is preparing. We had a lot of time with Bill Swing, Ross Mountain and a commander of a Pakistani battalion—one of the generals on the ground in the Bukavu area. They will give a lot of confidence to people, especially in more populated areas, that it will be safe to vote. No one is suggesting that there will be violence against those who vote. The militias are largely staying out of the process, so I think that there will be a pretty good turnout. Clearly, one has to put that in context. One can look at what happened in the early 1960s, but the forthcoming election will probably be the first real election in Congo at which there is pretty much universal suffrage. Let me mention Oona King, who founded the all-party group during her period in the House. It is largely because of her efforts that we are having this debate and the issue is being raised today on Sky television and ““Channel 4 News”” by the team that we took with us. Today's edition of The Guardian carries a good article on the issue. We also took Johann Hari of The Independent with us and that newspaper, too, is providing coverage. I believe that the interest in the DRC in Parliament— at this debate there has been a good turnout of hon. Members from both sides of the House—and the interest in the media presage a period when the country will step out of the shadows. Four million people have died there, but that figure comes from epidemiological surveys, not daily bombs, so the issue is less media-friendly. I cannot blame the media for that, but now, in the pre-election period, we have a chance to raise the profile of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We hope that the election will be successful, I look forward to hearing what the Minister and other hon. Members have to say.