AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil asked BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan over telephone at 8:30pm yesterday to set the Sangsad Bhaban as the venue for the talks and Bhuiyan agreed to the proposal.

Jalil told reporters at his Gulshan residence last night that Bhuiyan will call him today and fix the time for the talks.

"Mannan Bhuiyan told me that the talks might start tomorrow [Wednesday] evening after closing of the House or maybe the day after tomorrow [Thursday]," Jalil told reporters.

On the other hand, Mannan Bhuiyan at a briefing last night said Jalil had made the phone call sometime between 8:30pm and 9:00pm to start the dialogue in a new form. Jalil also asked for setting a time for it and proposed to sit at the Sangsad Bhaban

The LGRD minister said he would brief journalists at a briefing at 4:00pm today about matters relating to the dialogue. Replying a question, Bhuiyan said he had also proposed for sitting in the Sangsad Bhaban for the dialogue.

Complexities arose over settling the venue for the talks following the US ambassador's sudden proposal on Monday night to sit in dialogue at her residence.

Jalil accepted the US ambassador's invitation while Bhuiyan refused to sit with Jalil at the US ambassador's residence "over a cup of tea". Amid this situation, the US ambassador yesterday cancelled the invitation.

"We earlier proposed the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban as the venue because we think it is the most prestigious place in the country. Once again, I am proposing to Mannan Bhuiyan that we hold the dialogue at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban," Jalil told reporters yesterday after a meeting of the 14-party opposition alliance at his Mercantile Bank office.

At a press briefing, Bhuiyan also expressed his preference for the Sangsad Bhaban as the venue for the talks.

"I think the dialogue can be held at a state guesthouse or the parliament building where both Jalil and I are members, or at any other place they like," Bhuiyan, also LGRD and cooperatives minister, told reporters at his official residence at 12:30pm yesterday.

On Sunday, Bhuiyan proposed Jalil about holding the dialogue at 11:00am on Tuesday at the Padma state guesthouse.

The AL general secretary, however, did not make any immediate response to Bhuiyan's proposal and the AL Presidium held an emergency meeting on Monday night to discuss Bhuiyan's proposal.

In a sudden move the same night, US Ambassador in Dhaka Patricia A Butenis invited the BNP secretary general and the AL general secretary to her official residence at 8:00pm yesterday.

Accepting the invitation, Jalil phoned Bhuiyan at about 11:00pm on Monday urging him to attend the invitation at the US envoy's residence to settle the venue and time for the dialogue.

But Bhuiyan remained silent over the invitation and at a press briefing yesterday declined to accept the invitation.

"We will not sit for the secretary-level talks with Awami League at the US ambassador's residence. But we are ready to talk at any other place like the parliament building or state guesthouses," Bhuiyan said.

About the US envoy's invitation, Jalil, however, said an invitation for a tea and one for dialogue are separate things. "I will accept the invitation for courtesy," Jalil said.

"What is wrong if any foreign country wants to assist us in holding the talks when we take assistance and consultation from foreign countries for our state activities," Jalil told reporters while emerging from parliament yesterday. "However, we do not want anybody as mediator," he said.

BHUIYAN'S AFTERNOON BREIFING
The BNP secretary general at his first press briefing yesterday afternoon said he made a phone call to the US ambassador at 10:00am and conveyed his party's stance.

"We have no objection to have tea but have reservations to sit for a dialogue over there. We are sorry we could not respond to your request--it is not possible for us," Bhuiyan told the US ambassador.

"Both BNP and Awami League are mature enough political parties and I think we can sit to resolve our problems ourselves," he told the reporters.

Briefing the press on the latest development about the proposed dialogue with Jalil, especially after Butenis' invitation for tea, Bhuiyan said it seems that the AL does not want the dialogue.

Criticising the AL he said, "I think they tried to blackmail us by giving the proposal to sit at dialogue at the US ambassador's house. They thought America will be angry with us if we refuse to sit there. But I want to say it clearly that America is our development partner and a close friend of our government and party.

"The dialogue may continue [for several days] and it will not be possible to sit at the US ambassador's residence several times," Bhuiyan said.

Asked if he thought it was the US ambassador's interference in the country's internal politics, Bhuiyan said he would like to thank the envoy for taking the initiative to hold the dialogue.

Sources said after receiving the US ambassador's invitation to have tea at her residence, the BNP high command decided that its secretary general will not go there to sit for the dialogue.

Early in the morning, Bhuiyan discussed the matter with BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman and decided not to join the tea party, sources added.

JALIL'S AFTERNOON BRIEFING
The AL general secretary said he will formally disclose the time and date for the talks after consulting with Mannan Bhuiyan.

On Monday's proposal from Bhuiyan to hold the dialogue at the state guesthouse Padma at 11:00am on Wednesday, Jalil said, "It was a proposal. I told him that I will talk to him after discussing with my party and alliance. Now I am again proposing the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban as the venue for the talks."

Asked if the dialogue process could break, Jalil said the AL is hopeful about the talks. "We want the dialogue to break the political standoff."

On the US envoy's invitation, Jalil said, "We do not think that there was any motive behind the invitation."

Prior to the press briefing, senior leaders of the 14-party opposition combine discussed the latest situation.

The 14-party opposition partners earlier rejected the idea of holding the talks at the US ambassador's residence. Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon told reporters that interference in the country's politics by any "third party" is not expected.