 The opposition have warned they may take to the streets again |
Crucial talks between the Bangladeshi government and opposition on electoral reforms ahead of general elections in January have been put on hold. The two sides are due to meet again after the Eid break ends on Wednesday. Correspondents say they are still "poles apart" over several issues.
The main point of disagreement is who should head the caretaker government during the run-up to the vote.
The caretaker administration takes over the country on 28 October.
Time running out
"We made no headway towards agreement on any of the demands," a senior member of the opposition Awami League told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.
"We have not been able to break any ground yet."
But a BNP spokesman was more optimistic.
"Everything will be clear after the Eid al-Fitr festival on Wednesday," he said.
Correspondents say that the talks after Eid have now assumed a new urgency, as time is running out before Saturday's handover to the caretaker regime.
Both sides say that they have yet to agree on any of 31 electoral reforms proposed by the Awami League which it says will ensure fair voting in January 2007.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have said that the former Chief Justice, KM Hasan, should lead the caretaker administration.
Presidential role
But his name has been opposed by the Awami League, who accuse him of being too strongly associated with the governing party.
Another area of disagreement is the opposition's demand for the removal of the chief election commissioner and his deputies, who they say are biased in favour of the BNP.
 The government says it will act to prevent political violence |
The opposition also wants the armed forces to be put under the control of the caretaker chief during the polls.
Currently the country's President, Iajuddin Ahmed, is constitutional head of the armed forces.
Newspapers commentaries in Dhaka on Tuesday suggest the president could play a role in resolving the stand-off between the BNP and the Awami League.
The 14-party opposition alliance led by the Awami League has warned that it is prepared to take to the streets again if their demands are not met.
The BNP have pledged to do "everything necessary" to keep the streets of Dhaka and other main cities under control.
"Unless there is a miracle agreement between the feuding sides the country is surely heading into a period of serious confrontation, violence and anarchy," AKM Shahidullah, a senior teacher at the political science department of Dhaka University told Reuters.
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