ISLAMABAD, Jan 19: The PPP Parliamentarians on Friday asked the PML-N leadership to wait till the party's central executive committee (CEC) meeting on Saturday for a final decision regarding the participation of chairperson Benazir Bhutto in the multi-party conference (MPC) proposed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for next month in London, sources told Dawn.

The top leadership of the two major opposition parties met here on Friday in an effort to iron out their differences on various issues, but the sources said there was no significant improvement in the strained relationship between the two components of the ARD.

Taking place at the Central Secretariat of the PML-N, the meeting was attended by four members each from the two sides.

The PPP delegation was led by party president Makhdoom Amin Fahim while the PML-N team was headed by party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq.

Opposition leader in the Senate Raza Rabbani, PPP secretary general Raja Pervez Ashraf and Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi assisted Mr Fahim in the meeting while PML-N secretary general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, information secretary Ahsan Iqbal and acting parliamentary leader of the party in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan were part of the PML-N team.

The sources said the PPP leaders gave no assurance to the PML-N that Ms Bhutto would attend the proposed MPC. They said the leaders of the two parties also sought explanation from each other on various statements made by them from time to time on the issues of the MPC, resignation from the assemblies and participation in the next general elections under President General Pervez Musharraf. This was the second meeting between the leaders of the two parties in the last four days.