UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan dispatched Tuesday the top UN political official to visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ahead of the presidential and provincial assembly elections to be held there later this month.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at UN headquarters in New York that Ibrahim Gambari, the Under-Secretary- General for Political Affairs, will begin a four-day visit on Friday as the vast country seeks to cement its transition from six years of civil war and continued factional violence.

The purpose of his trip is to encourage smooth and peaceful presidential and provincial assembly elections, while underscoring support for the major UN electoral assistance operation being carried out through the UN Organization Mission in the DRC and the UN Country Team, the spokesman added.

Source: Xinhua