President Bharrat Jagdeo says that the political dialogue with Leader of the Opposition, Desmond Hoyte has made "tremendous advances in various areas," but warns that dramatic announcements should not be expected after every meeting.

He also suggested that attacks on the process were politically motivated to serve the aims of some faction or the other in the PNC/R.

The President also rejected the description of the PNC/R's representation on a number of state boards as "token", pointing out that the PNC/R was only party with political representation on these bodies.

He told reporters at last Friday's press briefing at the Office of the President that he and Hoyte were discussing "extremely important issues".

"We are discussing more issues of national importance - the state of the judiciary, reforms in that sector, the report on the media and broadcasting.... Work has already gone far ahead in three of the four areas we have identified and the squatting area in De Kenderen is being regularised so that [electricity] could be installed. The people are seeing benefits from it."

About the joint bauxite committee, the President said that he and Hoyte had met the co-chairs Clive Thomas and Robeson Benn and that they were working again on the bauxite situation.

The President pointed out that committees were established to look at certain issues and where their reports were not acceptable, other mechanisms were being put in place to address the issue.