Thai PM.: Elections possible in 2011

BANGKOK, July 17 (UPI) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told a visiting U.S. official he hopes to hold an election in early 2011, a spokesman says.

Abhisit and Under-Secretary of State William Burns discussed Thailand's political situation during a meeting Friday, the Bangkok Post reported. Panitan Wattanayagorn, the spokesman, said Burns told the prime minister the United States supports efforts at reconciliation.

"Genuine reconciliation and respecting human rights are the keys to bringing Thailand back to normal," Burns said.

Thailand has been through a series of political crises since the ouster of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. Shinawatra's supporters, known as the Red Shirts, staged weeks of sit-ins and demonstrations in Bangkok before being dispersed in deadly confrontations with the military.

Abhisit told Burns that those who want elections must be willing to work peacefully instead of trying to force them with violence.