The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The much-talked-about formal dialogue of the Caretaker Government with the major political parties is likely to begin in the first or second week of the next month after a wrap-up of the ongoing pre-dialogue informal talks on Tuesday.

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will lead the government representatives to the dialogue. The agenda for formal talks will be laid out after advisers submit a report to the CA on April 30 on the outcome of pre-dialogue talks.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim disclosed this while briefing journalists after weekly meeting of the Council of Advisers yesterday.

He said the advisers who are engaged with pre-dialogue talks with political parties would submit a report on the recommendations of the meetings to the Chief Adviser on April 30.

After a review of the report by the government, the formal dialogue will begin. The agenda of the formal dialogue will also come out from the analysis of the report, he said.

Meanwhile, Adviser for Education and Commerce Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters that they would submit a report on pre-dialogue talks with political parties to the Chief Adviser on April 30.

"A timetable for the formal dialogue will be announced soon," he said. after a meeting of the three advisers who are involved with the informal talks.

The Adviser said the pre-dialogue talks will wrap up on April 29 and the recommendations of the political parties will be presented before the Chief Adviser on the following day.

"The schedule for final dialogue will then be announced," he said.

Asked whether the general election would be acceptable if the two major political parties-the Awami League and the BNP-boycotted the polls, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim said the main objective of the present caretaker government is to hold a free, fair, neutral and acceptable election and both the government and the Election Commission are working to that end.

"Let us see what happens and how it can be solved. The solution will come out through the dialogue," he said.

Replying to a question the Press Secretary said whether the formal dialogue will be held separately or together would depend on what comes out from the pre-dialogue talks.

Asked if there is any option on government's table for the release of the detained chiefs of the two major political parties, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, he said the government did not yet get the full report of the pre-dialogue talks and the government would decide what to do after going through the report.

The Council of Advisers meeting held at the Chief Adviser's Office with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair, discussed the draft of the Anti-Terrorism Ordinance 2008 elaborately and sent it back for redrafting and rewording of some terms and provisions.

The matter of anti-terrorism law is important. So the council of advisers discussed the draft for further clarification, redrafting and rearrangement of some words and avoiding duplications, Syed Fahim Munaim said.

He said the meeting sent back the ordinance to the Law Ministry in the light of the suggestions, for placing it again as soon as possible with the changes.