The Joint Meeting Parties welcomed on Sunday the call of the Ruling Party for dialogue after receiving a letter from the panel formed last week by President Saleh from the Ruling Party to re-engage with the opposition to end the political stalemate.

Muhammad Al-Mutawakil, rotating president of the opposition coalition JMP, said the coalition held a meeting and discussed the letter today.

"Our reply was that in case the Ruling Party desires to return to the negotiating table, it should first return the situation as it was before the current turmoil through reversing all unilateral moves it has recently taken," Al-Mutawakil said.

We should restart from where the initial dialogue stopped, he said.

According to him, the letter addressed only four parties, thought the JMP previously told the Ruling Party any action taken should address the 200-memebr panel that was agreed for the disrupted dialogue in 2010.

Meanwhile, activities declared recently by the JMP including peaceful struggle will continue until all parties come back to the table to hold a productive dialogue, he said.

"Once we reach an agreement with the Ruling Party on all tabled issues, these activities will come to an end," he added.

Earlier today, Al-Mutawakil said the JMP was considering the letter sent by Saleh-picked panel led by Shura Chairman Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani, in a statement coinciding with remarks by a source at the Ruling Party disclosing the content of the letter.

The source said the letter suggested setting a date for a meeting that should gather both sides and included issues supposed to be discussed at the meeting.

The source also said the response of the JMP to the letter was a positive sign, hoping the political unrest will be tackled soon as the controversial parliamentary elections near.

The seemingly good news comes amid widening political turmoil inflamed by differences over several issues topped by continuous arrangements for the controversial elections planned for 2011 according to an agreement they signed in February 2009.

The opposition is currently escalating its protest and boycotting the parliamentary sessions, particularly after recent unilateral moves by the Ruling Party including voting for and passing the election law and forming the election commission from judges.

Constitutional amendments proposed by the Ruling Party last week and to which Parliament agreed in principle, referring them on Saturday to a special panel to finalize legal procedures within 60 days to pass them after that time, adds fuel to the fire.

The reforms aim to improve the electoral system, with a focus on establishing local governance with broad powers and further empowering women, the Ruling Party said.

They included an amendment to the article 112 cutting a president's term in office from 7 years to 5 years, with which Saleh can stay two more terms.

The amendment inflamed the political turmoil and triggered fears of activists, who say the move was a coup on democracy and unconstitutional.