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Hold talks now

John Kerry writes to Hasina, Khaleda, urging them to decide on polls-time govt; AL says 'foreign intervention' not needed; BNP 'ready to sit' for dialogue

Staff Correspondent
Expressing concern over the political situation in Bangladesh, US Secretary of State John Kerry has requested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia to hold a constructive dialogue without wasting any more time to decide on an election-time government.
through talks.
"The USA along with the international community is concerned about the political situation in Bangladesh," Kerry said in his letters that were received by the two leaders on Sunday.
The two rival parties have reacted to Ban Ki-moon's phone calls and Kerry's letters differently
Kerry's identical proposal in separate letters to the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP chiefs comes two weeks after the UN chiefs phone calls, urging Hasina and Khaleda to resolve the crisis
and given opposing views.
As they did after the UN chiefs phone call, BNP leaders yesterday welcomed Kerry's proposal for talks.
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Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP's acting secretary general, said: "The BNP is ready to sit for a constructive dialogue to resolve the crisis over the polls-time government."
Top AL leaders, however, said they thought foreign interference would not yield any positive result in the present situation.
The party's acting general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said foreign countries and the UN had got the opportunity to interfere in "our domestic matters" because of the opposition.
"Due to the opposition's role, the UN secretary general and different countries are sending letters to us, which is very unfortunate," he told a private television channel.
He added that various countries could express their concerns on various matters but the AL did not believe in acting according to their advice.
Hanif, also a special
assistant to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said: "We believe we will be able to resolve our own problems."
Party leaders Suranjit Sengupta and Mohammad Nasim echoed Hanif s view.
After Ban Ki-moon's phone call, a number of AL leaders made similar comments.
Hanif, however, welcomed Fakhrul's comment about placing the BNP's formula on the polls-time administration. "We will not hesitate to accept their |BNP's] proposal if it is in line with the constitution."
At yesterday's cabinet meeting, Hasina did not share the content of Kerry's letter with her colleagues, meeting sources said.
But the government would send a reply, a cabinet member told The Daily Star.
"We will inform the US government about our stance on the election-time government, assuring them of a level playing field dur-
ing the polls and talks with the opposition," the minister said, requesting anonymity.
Kerry's letters come at a time when foreign diplomats based in Dhaka are working informally to reduce the gap between the two parties and forge a consensus on the election-time government.
On August 23, the UN secretary general phoned Hasina and Khaleda and urged them to hold talks for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing political crisis centring on the polls-time administration.
Ban also said the UN wanted to see a free, fair and credible election in which all political parties would participate, sources said.
However, no visible development took place in the last two weeks.
Moreover, Hasina on September 2 said the general election would be held without dissolving parliament and the cabinet she leads.
Her announcement triggered a huge uproar. The BNP-led opposition alliance claimed that the prime minister's comment had shut the door on a peaceful solution.
Kerry's letters came against this backdrop.
Contacted, Kelly S McCarthy, spokesperson for the LIS embassy in Dhaka, said Kerry had sent letters to Hasina and Khaleda "encouraging them to engage in constructive dialogue to find a way forward towards free, fair and credible elections"
Asked about the contents of the letter, BNP Vice-Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury said Kerry had asked all political parties to sit for a constructive dialogue for a peaceful and participatory election.
Kerry also emphasised that the outcome of the dialogue should be acceptable to all for the sake of a free and fair election, he added.