BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at a meeting in her party office with Chinese ambassador in Dhaka, Li Jun, on Monday suggested that talks might begin at the general secretaries' level between the two major parties to resolve the issue of election-time government.

We welcome this offer coming from the opposition leader. As eminently eloquent spokesmen of their parties, AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir seem well-suited to carry out the task.

The ball, however, is now in the ruling party's court, because it is them who have been instrumental in bringing about the 15th Amendment to the constitution. Now instead of verbally defending their position, it is expected that they sit down, talk and thrash out their differences.

The contention rests on one point which is, who should head the interim poll-time government. AL says it is the PM, while BNP insists that it should be a non-party neutral person.

International development partners including other friendly nations as well as civil society in the country are all for an inclusive, broad-based and fully participated general election.

Thus the rationale for a negotiated settlement on the polltime government is overwhelming. It is inconceivable why so much waffling should take place on initiating a talk.

With only a few weeks to the constitutional time-frame for the election, the major political parties can ill-afford not to go for a dialogue with a real sense of urgency.