On the eve of the secretary-general level formal talks, BNP Chairperson also Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and AL President also Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday in parliament expressed their hopes that the dialogue will be meaningful.

BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, who will sit for one to one talks at 11:30am today, were busy yesterday in last minute preparations in consultation with their respective party high commands.

The AL presidium sat for an emergency meeting last night to hammer out the last minute details of its strategy for the first day of the talks. "Our presidium met tonight to strategise," said Abdul Jalil after the meeting last night but he declined to elaborate.

"We hope that we can sit with an open mind to reach a consensus on electoral reforms for holding a free and fair election," Jalil, also the coordinator of 14-party opposition coalition, told reporters.

During a short news briefing in his official residence yesterday afternoon, Bhuiyan, also the LGRD and cooperatives minister, disclosed that he and Jalil had agreed to sit in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban today to discuss the opposition's reform proposals.

All eyes are now set on the much awaited dialogue that will define the political landscape ahead of the next parliamentary election by removing the uncertainty regarding whether a peaceful atmosphere will prevail through a consensus on the crucial issue of reforms in the system of caretaker government, Election Commission (EC) and electoral laws.

But sensing the rigid stances of both the parties on some major reform proposals including appointment of the chief adviser to the next caretaker government, reconstitution of the EC and the issue of who will control the defence forces during the interim government, political analysts fear that reaching a consensus might be difficult for the ruling and the main opposition parties. AL however already declared that it will resist the polls if the reforms are not brought.

A number of former advisers to caretaker governments however for the last few months have been repeatedly stressing the need for creating a consensus between the ruling and opposition alliances for the sake of creating a peaceful atmosphere for the next parliamentary election.

Many political analysts fear, if the crisis is not resolved within the tenure of the four-party alliance government, which will expire on October 27, confrontations might erupt on the streets as the leader of the opposition already called upon the people to throng the capital from all over the country on the day Justice KM Hasan will takeover office as the chief of the next caretaker government, to make the interim government unable to function.

Amid such a situation, Bhuiyan and Jalil yesterday during a telephone conversation fixed the venue and time for the talks that might continue for a few days.

Today, Jalil will formally place a 31-point charter of demands for electoral reforms to his counterpart and justify each and every point with arguments and logic. Jalil will also listen to Bhuiyan's comments carefully and will bring those to meetings of his party and the opposition coalition. Bhuiyan will also listen to Jalil's arguments carefully and discuss those with senior leaders of BNP and the ruling alliance before the second day of the talks.

Journalists will be allowed to enter the parliament during the talks, Jalil told reporters yesterday.

After repeated telephone conversations since August 20, Bhuiyan and Jalil came to a consensus that they will sit for the talks on behalf of the two major political parties to break the stalemate.

On October 1, Bhuiyan proposed to Jalil holding of a dialogue at 11:00am on Tuesday in Padma, a state guesthouse. But in a sudden move on the same night, US Ambassador in Dhaka Patricia A Butenis invited the BNP secretary general and the AL general secretary to her official residence to have tea with her on Wednesday.

But, Bhuiyan refused to sit with Jalil in US envoy's residence. On the following day Bhuiyan proposed Sangsad Bhaban or any state guest house as the venue for the talks and Jalil agreed to Sangsad Bhaban removing the ominous cloud hanging over the much-awaited dialogue for which the AL-led opposition coalition has been demonstrating on the streets since July 15 last year.

STANCES OF AL, BNP
The AL-led opposition coalition decided not to budge on its stance against the ideas of Justice KM Hasan being appointed as the chief adviser to the next caretaker government and holding the next election under the present chief election commissioner MA Aziz and three other present election commissioners.

It will also not budge on its stance that instead of the president the caretaker government should be in charge of the defence ministry for the sake of a free and fair election.

BNP, on the other hand, is not ready to concede the opposition's demand for reforms in the caretaker government system that includes appointment of the chief adviser on the basis of a consensus and bringing the defence ministry under the caretaker government's jurisdiction.

Ruling BNP however might agree to reconstitute the much controversial EC and reach a consensus over the demands regarding reforms in electoral laws, according to party insiders.

Sticking to their respective stances on other crucial proposals for reforms, both sides finalised their strategies for the talks through holding a series of meetings with party bigwigs and senior leaders of their alliance partners.

The two senior leaders of BNP and AL, Bhuiyan and Jalil, will negotiate in line with their respective parties' positions during the talks that are being held under tremendous pressure from different quarters both at home and abroad.

BACKGROUND OF DEMANDS FOR REFORMS
AL in a meeting of its central working committee on October 12, 2004 passed a resolution demanding reform in the caretaker government system following the 14th amendment to the constitution, which had extended the retirement age of Supreme Court judges. Justice KM Hasan had been confirmed as the chief of the next caretaker government due to the amendment.

Formally disclosing the proposals for reforms on July 15 last year, the AL-led 14-party opposition coalition has been carrying out street agitations to press home the demands.

Responding to the government's urgings, AL Chief Sheikh Hasina placed the reform proposals in parliament on February 12 this year although the government outrightly rejected the proposals.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on February 28 proposed formation of a committee to deal with the reform proposals. Finally a committee was formed following exchange of eight letters between BNP and AL. The committee however did not sit due to AL's objection to the inclusion of a Jamaat member in the committee.

Finally, the prime minister on September 13 offered secretary-general level talks between BNP and AL to break the political deadlock.

Major reform proposals

• The president will appoint acceptable persons as chief adviser and advisers to the caretaker government in consultation with all political parties.
• The Ministry of Defence will be under the caretaker government during its tenure.
• The chief adviser and advisers will not be member of any political party or its affiliated organisations.
• The appointments of the chief election commissioner and other commissioners have to be done in consultation with political parties. The number of election commissioners will also have to be determined.
• The EC will have its own independent secretariat free from any executive control.
• Computerised voter lists and voter identity cards will have to be prepared and electronic voting will have to be introduced.
• Transparent ballot boxes will have to be arranged with serial numbers.
• Disclosure of candidate's wealth and identity.
• No one will be eligible as election candidate if he/she or any of his/her family members is a loan defaulter or owns black money.
• No political party will nominate any criminal and black-money holder.
• All kinds of misuse of religion and fundamentalist campaign will have to be banned as declared as punishable offence.
• Change of definition of the law enforcement agencies and giving them arresting authority (through rules 87 and 89A of PO No. 155 of 1972) by the previous caretaker government have to be cancelled.
• Jurisdiction of the armed forces and the law enforcement agencies during the election period as per the Representation of People's Order of 1972 and the Election Act of 1992 will have to be reinstated.