Hasina tells business leaders, talks offer remains open

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her invitation to the Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia for talks is ‘still open’.Talking to Bangladesh’s top business leaders at her office on Thursday she said her government always favoured a dialogue to resolve the impasse.
The business leaders are trying to broker talks between the rival political alliances who are at loggerheads over the nature of the election-time government.
Hasina had invited her arch political rival, BNP chief Khaleda Zia, to her official residence Ganabhaban for talks over dinner in a telephonic conversation on Oct 26.
The Prime Minister reportedly told the delegation that her government was keen on talking with the Leader of the Opposition ‘any time’.
Hasina said the government had extended the Parliament session in the hope that the Opposition would join it.
She, however, insisted on an assurance from Khaleda Zia that the Opposition would not call any shutdown before a dialogue.
On Nov 3, Hasina had said the door to a dialogue was wide open provided Khaleda promised not to enforce anymore shutdowns.
The government has started the process to form an all-party poll-time government, as proposed by the PM. The BNP-led Opposition alliance is demanding a non-party government to supervise the polls. Otherwise they would boycott the election.
Hasina’s Oct 26 invitation to Khaleda was extended when political confrontation loomed large.
Khaleda had said the invitation came too late in  the evening when her leaders and workers started running for cover to avoid police arrest and told her she would accept Hasina’s offer after the Opposition’s shutdown was over. The government blamed Khaleda for ‘refusing the talk officer by not agreeing to withdraw the hartal’.
As the 37-minute tele-talk did not lead to a positive outcome the business bodies to step in.
The buiness leaders met Khaleda on Nov 2 and proposed talks between the secretaries general of the two parties, without strings attached.
After Khaleda Zia agreed to the suggestion, the business leaders sought an appointment with the Prime Minister, taking their initiative forward.
FBCCI President Kazi Akramuddin Ahmed said: “The invitation is still open.
“The Opposition Leader can come anytime. The Prime Minister is always ready.” Hasina had also told them that the national election would be held according to the Constitution.
The Prime Minister criticised the Khaleda for going ahead with the shutdown plan despite the talks offer. The Awami League chief expressed skepticism about the usefulness of the secretary general-level talks proposed by the business leaders.
“They (the BNP) don’t have a secretary general. They have only an acting secretary general. How much authority has he been given? Our General Secretary has been given full authority,” she said.
“The problem is from the other side. Who will take the decision?” asked Hasina. On BNP’s demand for a non-party government, she said once installed an unelected body would not leave office.
In an oblique reference to the 2007-08 military-backed government, Hasian asked: “Will there be an election if someone unelected like them is brought to the power?”
All I want is a congenial atmosphere and the election to be held in a free and fair way,” said the Prime Minister. – Agencies