Editorial
BNP's readiness for talks with government
Ruling party should respond positively
Our foreign friends have been eager to see the ruling party and the opposition thrash out their differences on ways to hold the next general election. They are only echoing the sentiments of the civil society and the people of the country.
US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met the prime minister and on Friday she called on the leader of the opposition. In her meeting with the US under-secretary, Begum Khaleda Zia told Ms. Sherman that her party is willing to engage with the ruling party on the ways and means of putting an end to the current stalemate in politics.
Now that the opposition is seemingly willing to work out the modalities of ensuring a participatory election, it is for the government to respond positively to the suggestion. Such a response should in all logic lead to the creation of a premise on which the two sides can get to work. What the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP must now do is have Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia nominate their representatives to initiate talks as a way of exploring the ground and then follow through with negotiations on a more senior as well as substantive level. The process can be undertaken at two levels, first at the informal and then at the formal. And it must include concrete proposals from both sides toward finding a methodology on which the general elections scheduled for early 2014 can be held.
One hardly needs to be reminded of the absolute necessity of a swift, meaningful resolution of the crisis. It is important since elections, with the crucial role they play in underpinning democracy, must bring into their fold all political parties. Only that will ensure a meaningful continuation of the pluralistic process. With the elections less than two years away, the time is here and now for the political classes to comprehend the grave need for an end to confrontation. That is what the national interest, now and in the times ahead, demands.
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