Cablegate: (Sbu) Pakistan: Uk Urges Elections Without

VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLO #4688 3651126
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311126Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6835
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0737
RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA PRIORITY 0121
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

UNCLAS LONDON 004688

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/PB, EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM PTER PK UK
SUBJECT: (SBU) PAKISTAN: UK URGES ELECTIONS WITHOUT
SIGNIFICANT DELAY

REF: STATE 170928 (NOTAL)

(U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT
FOR INTERNET.

1. (SBU) HMG "agrees completely" with the USG that
Pakistan's elections should proceed on schedule if possible,
and if not, the postponement should be to a specified new
date, according to Laura Guy, Head of FCO's Pakistan Section.
Responding to reftel, Guy said HMG is keen on "as much
election monitoring as possible." As she understood it, the
head of the EU election observation mission in Islamabad had
decided that constraints of time and security would permit
only an "assessment" if the elections occurred on schedule
January 8, rather than the more ambitious "limited election
observation mission" that had been envisaged. Guy made clear
that if the elections were delayed, the UK would be "keen"
for a "much more comprehensive" EU observation effort.

2. (U) As reported by the BBC, a spokesman for Prime
Minister Gordon Brown said the PM had spoken by telephone
with President Musharraf and "underlined the need to push
ahead with the democratic process and to avoid any
significant delays to the electoral timetable."

Visit London's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm
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