The Awami League remained unbending on its decision to skip the October 4-12 conference citing the government's 'arrogant attitude to the opposition' at an hour-long meeting with the grouping's Executive Committee Chairman Bob Speller, Secretary General Denis Marshall and other officials at Sonargaon Hotel yesterday.

For the first time, the 92-year-old institution is holding the conference without the participation of the host country's opposition. In all 48 previous events, the host nation's opposition leader addressed the conference launch.

Following the meeting with an AL-delegation led by the party's General Secretary Abdul Jalil, Speller said: "We're disappointed as the Awami League has decided not to join the conference."

Putting on a brave face, the Canadian lawmaker said they were hopeful of talks with Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina and looked forward to the party's participation.

Speller flew in Dhaka on Thursday with Marshall a day ahead of schedule to persuade the AL into attending the meet.

On the rift between the ruling and opposition parties, which is casting a shadow on the conference, the CPA executive committee chairman said, "We don't care to involve in your local politics."

Earlier, Mahbub Alam, a CPA director, called Hasina's residence on Thursday on Bob and Denis' behalf for an appointment, but her aide advised him to contact Jalil, as Hasina was indisposed.

Briefing newspersons at the AL's Dhanmondi office yesterday afternoon, Jalil said, "We illustrated the reasons for our boycott and spelled it out that it was not possible for us to join the conference."

Jalil admitted that the CPA leaders expressed their willingness to hold talks with Hasina.

"I hope there will be a meeting with our leader within the next couple of days. But that will be a courtesy call. Our leader will explain the same stand that we told them today."

AL leaders Abdus Samad Azad, SAMS Kibria, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Faruq Khan and Asaduzzaman Noor were also present at the meeting with the CPA officials.

Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar, also the president of the 49th CPA conference, held a separate meeting with CPA officials at Sonargaon Hotel in the afternoon. Sircar briefed them on the last moment preparations for the conference.

While coming out of Bob's hotel suite, Sircar told reporters, "I hope they'll (AL) join. I'll put the opposition leader's name on the inaugural programme."

Commenting on a blotch in the CPA history in case of host country's opposition boycott, Sircar said when delegates comprising both ruling and opposition parties from 156 national and regional parliaments were attending, non-participation of an opposition party would not make much difference.

"But I feel pity that our opposition decided not to join the conference," he added.

Although the conference begins today with a meeting of the CPA working party, vice-patron of the conference Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will open the meet at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre on October 7.

At a press briefing at the Sangsad Bhaban last night, Vice-President of the 49th conference Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui flayed the main opposition for their boycott, saying they were up for tarnishing Bangladesh's image.

"I hope good sense will prevail upon them and they will joint the conference."

The AL took the hard line as it was left out of the preparatory work for the conference and only two of its lawmakers were included on the 25-member steering committee on the event. The opposition also protested the inclusion of two non-MPs, who happen to be political secretaries to the prime minister, on the committee.

After a long wrangle and interventions from the CPA headquarters, the government and the speaker conceded to many of AL demands over the last couple of weeks but again included five AL lawmakers in Bangladesh's official delegation to the conference without consulting the party.

As many as 526 delegates, including 53 speakers from national and regional parliaments of 48 member countries, are expected to attend the conference, themed "Partnerships for Global Peace and Prosperity". Fifty-six of them arrived in Dhaka yesterday.

The conference will have seven workshops on various topics: Parliament and Executive: Building a More Effective Partnership, Do We Have Adequate Peacekeeping Mechanism for Preserving World Order, Are the Millennium Goals Achievable, Reconciling Human Rights with Cultural Diversity, How can the Doha Round Contribute to Increasing Trade and Investment Opportunities for Developing Nations, Antiterrorism Legislation: Have We Achieved any Tangible Result.

The final plenary will focus on balancing multilateral support and national sovereignty: managing the interface between the international community and local interest.

President Iajuddin Ahmed will accord a reception to the delegates from home and abroad on October 10, and Dhaka Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka will host a civic reception on October 11.