Nobel winner Yunus pledges to help end poverty

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, Oct 15 (Reuters) Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus today pledged to help eradicate poverty worldwide at the village where he conceived the concept of microfinance.

''I have come here to my ancestral home where I was born and first introduced the concept of microfinance,'' he told thousands of cheering villagers in his southeastern Chittagong district.

''Now I have a bigger responsibility to help all the poor in Bangladesh and in the rest of the world out of poverty and I believe this mission can be achieved,'' Yunus said as Bangladesh celebrated his victory.

Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded were awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for grassroots efforts to lift millions out of poverty that earned him the nickname ''banker to the poor''.

His pioneering model went on to be copied in over 100 countries from the United States to Uganda.

Many said they hoped the Nobel Peace Prize the first in any category for a Bangladeshi -- would help usher in a less troubled future for his country, as Bangladesh braces for what might be a violent general election next January.

Yunus said: ''We hope to take these festivities to the next election by narrowing the differences between the parties,'' The government is due to be dissolved later this month when an independent caretaker administration will be appointed.

But the main political parties are finding it difficult to agree to the caretaker authority's composition, analysts say.

Bangladesh's ruling party and opposition groups have been locked in talks for weeks trying for a consensus on electoral reform.

''The country is sharing the joy, forgetting all differences,'' said Professor Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, a university teacher. ''Such unity has not been seen in this country for many years.'' Economist Abul Barakat said: ''His achievements have brought the nation together at a time when such unity was needed to take a breather from bitterness, hatred and confrontation.'' Yunus said: ''If they wanted, the politicians could reach any consensus in a single meeting.'' ''The next election is going to be very important as it will be the first after we attained a Nobel prize for the country.

''People no more want to hear bad news. Politicians should realise that and be very cautious in their actions.'' But the quiet Yunus would not say whether he would accept the job as caretaker as many in Bangladesh believe he should.

''Time will tell,'' was his reply.

REUTERS SY KP1818