The government is going to make a formal offer of dialogue to the opposition. Amir Hossain Amu. a Presidium member of the ruling party said last night.

‘We are going to invite the opposition formally to a dialogue after the return of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the Commonwealth Heads ■ of Government Summit in Durban. South Africa" Amir Hossain Amu told the Star.

His comments came after an emergency meeting of the AL Presidium at the Gano Bhaban with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in chair last evening.

The PM is leaving the city for Durban today, and Amir Hossain Amu was given the responsibility of leading the party as its acting President, during the former's Nov 11-18 visit abroad, which will also take her to Saudi Arabia.

“The meeting took a number of important decisions. It welcomed the Prime Minister's call upon the leader of the opposition for a dialogue and expressed the hope that the latter would respond to the offer to resolve all problems to consolidate democracy and continue the pace of development in the country", a press release issued after the meeting said late last night.

It also "criticised strongly the negative attitude of the leader of the opposition spurning the offer of the dialogue by the Prime Minister". It expressed the "hope that good sense will prevail upon her and she would respond to the offer of talks. If she does not do so and continue with negative activi-(ties, she will have tp^aaswer to the. people some day." the release added.