In reply to the query BNP leaders told the delegation that the ruling alliance is ready for a dialogue if the opposition proposes one.

The exchange occurred when the mission delegates met the leaders of BNP in the party's central office at Nayapaltan in the capital yesterday.

During the meeting, which went on for about two hours, BNP leaders led by its Secretary General also LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, and the EU mission led by Andrew Bruce discussed the matter of monitoring the upcoming election and the pre-election circumstances of the country. The ruling party leaders gave their consent to deploying the EU mission for observing the next election.

"Now we are listening to the authorities concerned including the government, different political parties, the civil society, media and others and gathering information so that the EU could deploy its observation team for the next election," Andrew Bruce, election expert of the EU External Affairs Department told reporters after the meeting.

Declining to disclose the meeting agenda, the leader of the EU mission said, "We have just listened to their views."

But meeting sources said the EU mission asked the ruling party leaders about their position regarding the proposal for electoral reforms and also wanted to know about the views of BNP regarding Justice KM Hasan, the likely chief adviser to the next caretaker government, and Chief Election Commissioner Justice MA Aziz. The leaders of BNP told the EU mission that Justice Hasan will take over the charge of the next caretaker government as its chief adviser in accordance with the constitution, the sources said.

"It was a fruitful discussion and we have discussed different issues like election observation, voter list and the political situation in the country," BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Buiyan told reporters after the meeting.

"They have asked us about the voter list and the controversy, and we informed them that the voter list could be corrected even on the day before the election," he said adding, "They also asked us about the present situation of the country and BNP leaders told them that the election records of our country is better than the records of other countries in this region."

In reply to a question the LGRD minister said, "I think the EU mission have shown a positive attitude regarding the election observation issue."

When a reporter asked Bhuiyan whether Washington based National Democratic Institute (NDI) has any right to comment on the possible chief adviser of the next caretaker government or the chief election commissioner, he just said, "I will tell you later."

BNP Standing Committee Member also Health Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Law Minister Moudud Ahmad, Post and Telecommunications Minister Aminul Haque, and BNP Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan also attended the meeting.