INTER-PARTY DIALOGUE CONTINUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 006224

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2011
TAGS: PHUM KDEN BG
SUBJECT: INTER-PARTY DIALOGUE CONTINUES

REF: A. DHAKA 06091

B. DHAKA 06185

Classified By: CDA a.i. Geeta Pasi, reason para 1.4 d.


1. (C) Summary. The secretaries general of the ruling
Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the opposition Awami League
held today their fourth round of election talks. The Awami
League's Abdul Jalil afterwards told reporters the two sides
are close to agreement on an unidentified issue, but media,
and privately leaders from both parties, remain pessimistic
about prospects for a breakthrough. The next round is
scheduled for October 16, when both PM Khaleda Zia and Awami
League president Hasina will be abroad. On the key issue of
who heads the next caretaker regime, there is little sign of
flexibility from either side. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On October 10, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
Secretary General Mannan Bhuiyan and his Awami League (AL)

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counterpart, Abdul Jalil, held their fourth round of talks at
parliament on election issues. Who heads the next caretaker
regime, has emerged as the pivotal issue. The Awami League
insists that Justice Hasan the presumptive chief caretaker
adviser, is disqualified by his BNP past, and that this issue
must be resolved before the AL's other demands are addressed.
PM Zia continues to insist that existing constitutional
provisions should apply for the election. "We want peace and
consensus," she told reporters yesterday, "but that does not
mean that we have to accept whatever the opposition wants."


3. (C) The Awami League sees the dialogue as a pressure
tactic against the ruling party. On October 9, Hasina
charged that the BNP was forced to the table by overwhelming
public support for AL demands, and urged her supporters to be
on guard against efforts to foil the talks. Hard-line AL
Presidium member Sheikh Salim, a cousin of Hasina's, told us
Jalil's upbeat public stance is designed to "encourage" the
voters and put the onus on the BNP for any breakdown.


4. (C) Two weeks ago, the AL indicated to U.S. and UK
diplomats that it would agree to replace Justice Hasan with
Justice Mahmdul Amin Chowdhury. (Ironically, Justice
Chowdhury, as a judicial reform measure, had publicly lobbied
for the constitutional amendment raising the retirement age
of judges, which is what put Justice Hasan in line to be
chief caretaker adviser.) Jalil went public with the offer
after the third round of talks during an interview with a
local TV station, which he then apparently tried to get
pulled because it violated an agreement not to divulge
dialogue specifics without the consent of both parties.


5. (C) AL and BNP leaders privately downplay prospects for a
breakthrough. The AL complains that Bhuiyan lacks clear
negotiating authority from Khaleda Zia. Bhuiyan, the AL's
Salim said, told Jalil he personally has no objection to
replacing Hasan but other party leaders are intransigent, a
judgment we have heard from other senior BNP figures. "But
maybe something dramatic will happen at the end," Salim
added. "Maybe Justice Hasan will say he is not ready to take
up the responsibility and withdraw. That would save both
parties from losing face."


6. (C) Haris Chowdhury, Zia's political secretary who is on
the campaign trail with her in northern Bangladesh, confirmed
to us today that Zia and Bhuiyan have not recently met to
discuss the dialogue. He stressed, however, that "accepting
the opposition demand to drop Hasan is out of the question."


7. (SBU) The next round of talks is scheduled for October 16,
even though both party leaders will then be abroad: PM
Khaleda Zia departs for Saudi Arabia on October 14, and AL
president Sheikh Hasina leaves for the U.S. on October 12.
Jalil himself will make a brief visit to Singapore on October
13, apparently in connection with his recurring health
problems.


8. (C) Comment: Bangladeshis remain more hopeful than
optimistic that the inter-party talks with break the
political impasse and smooth the way for successful elections
in January 2007.
PASI