To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement issued by the International Democrat Union on 30 August expressing concerns about Georgia and its forthcoming parliamentary elections.

The International Democrat Union's statement was in line with those made by other international organisations prior to the Georgian parliamentary elections. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has welcomed the statement made on 2 October by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Observer Mission and associated Parliamentary Assembly missions. The preliminary conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR were that the elections met international standards, although some issues remain to be addressed.