US Ambassador in Dhaka Patricia A Butenis yesterday made a phone call to BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and appreciated the move to hold talks with AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil.

The US envoy told him that she is hopeful there will be a positive outcome of the negotiations over reform proposals, said sources close to Bhuiyan.

Meanwhile, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury said the proposed talks will bridge the differences between the two sides over the upcoming elections.

"I hope they will continue this contact and find ways to resolve their differences," he told reporters while accompanying British cabinet minister Stephen Timms in a visit to a primary school in the city yesterday.

"Bangladeshi people want to see their country as an advanced nation which presupposes political stability and agreements," he said.

Civil society leaders too welcomed the decision of the two major parties to sit at the negotiating table and work out ways to ensure a free and fair election. They observed that a consensus between the opposing parties will help to hold an acceptable election.

It will be a disaster for the country if they [political parties] fail to find out a solution to the crisis over the reforms issue, they feared.

Former cabinet secretary Mujibul Haque told The Daily Star, "I am hopeful that two parties will show maturity and get the nation out of the crisis. It's a chance for them to prove their love for the country that will be in serious trouble if the election is not held on schedule."

"I hope both the leaders will go to the talks with an open mind and arrive at a consensus over how to hold a credible election. Everybody knows that both the sides have lost public respect for their failure and so, a meaningful dialogue could present an opportunity for them to regain that respect," he noted.

Hafiz Uddin Khan, former adviser to the caretaker government, told The Daily Star yesterday, "The whole nation was waiting for the news and I'm very happy to hear that the two parties have agreed to a dialogue."

The countrymen expect the two leaders and their parties to act responsibly in this regard, he added.

Major General (retired) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury, another former adviser to the caretaker government, said, "I am quite optimistic about the talks. This is how a problem should be addressed in a democracy, not by clash or anything of that sort."