Sources said a group of diplomats are trying to convince the BNP secretary general and Awami League (AL) general secretary to resolve the current political dispute at the negotiating table.

They are ready to mediate the much-awaited talks if the two parties respond positively, added the sources.

Both the opposing sides are under pressure also from the civil society and business community to hold a dialogue on the reform issue.

In a latest development, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Thursday called for a dialogue between the secretaries-general to break the stand-off.

The opposition leaders have questioned the sincerity of the call but in their immediate reaction they did not reject the offer.

They said the government must prove their sincerity by developing a ground for the talks.

"It rests with the government to create a climate in which a fruitful dialogue can take place," AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil told The Daily Star yesterday.

He added that first they will have to be convinced that the prime minister's offer is genuine as on different occasions she had rejected the reform proposals.

BNP Vice-chairman and Agriculture Minister MK Anwar yesterday told the reporters, "The prime minister has done her part and now it all depends on the way the opposition will respond to her call."

Sources said the donors as well as the international community have already made it clear to the BNP and AL leaders that they must hold a dialogue on the reforms.

Now both the parties are working on their strategy in this regard. They want formal proposals from their counterpart, said sources.

Referring to the pressure from the donor and international community on the political parties, Hafiz Uddin Khan, former adviser to the caretaker government, yesterday told The Daily Star, "Now we can see a ray of hope that there might be a dialogue and the groups concerned should not squander this chance to ensure peace and stability."

Earlier, in response to an initiative of the business community for talks, BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan told the reporters, "We have no objection to sitting across the table but the proposal must come from the opposition."

"Now it is almost sure that a one-to-one dialogue on reform proposals will take place before the handover of power to the caretaker government. But the question remains who will take the initiative," a ruling party leader seeking anonymity told The Daily Star yesterday.

Sources said the National Democratic Institute's (NDI) assessment of the existing political situation has helped to change the prime minister's stance on dialogue. On the other hand, the international community has kept the opposition under pressure so that they do not reject her proposal.

A delegation of the Washington-based NDI arrived here on September 8 on a visit to assess the environment leading up to the next election. Before leaving the country, Leader of the delegation Tom Daschle said there's still enough time for the political parties to sit and solve the problems.

The visiting European Union (EU) exploratory mission too implicitly favoured negotiations between the government and opposition to resolve the crisis.

Then on Thursday, US Ambassador in Dhaka Patricia A Butenis requested AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil to sit down with the government and settle the issue of electoral reforms immediately.

The US is ready to mediate the talks, if required, Jalil quoted Butenis as saying.

AL President Sheikh Hasina placed the reform proposals in parliament on February 12 while Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on February 28 proposed forming a committee to discuss the issue.

But a stalemate followed over the inclusion of Jamaat and Islami Oikya Jote in the proposed committee.

The opposition had urged the government to leave Jamaat out of the committee while the government refused to do so. The upshot was an uncertainty over a settlement.