Dhaka, Nov. 11 -- Seven days after Bangladesh's interim government asked rival parties to settle a row over when to hold a referendum on sweeping constitutional reforms known as the July National Charter, no compromise is in sight.

In the seven-day deadline, neither the government nor the parties announced any compromise. There has not even been any visible initiative for the parties to sit together.

The National Consensus Commission, which spent eight months brokering cross-party reforms, left the referendum timing open in recommendations submitted on Oct 28, saying it could be held on election day or before. Instead of making the call, the government on Nov 3 urged parties to deliver a unified position within a week. They did not.

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