BANGKOK, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The rival parties of the ongoing political crisis Thursday are expected to discuss issues concerning next week's public debate aimed at breaking the impasse.

    Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, chairman of the People's Network for Election, or P-Net, said his agency and the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) have agreed to hold a forum for the caretaker government, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), and the opposition parties to discuss preparations and issues to be raised at the public debate scheduled for March 24.

    The caretaker government has yet to reply whether it would join the discussion or not, but the two other parties have already accepted the invitation, Somchai was quoted by Bangkok Post as saying.

    The PAD had assigned its member Suriyasai Katasila and the opposition alliance would send Democrat Party deputy leader Sathit Wongnongtoey to finalize Thursday's preparations.

    Key issues for the discussion include the possibility of postponing the April 2 election, the future of embattled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra or whether a deputy prime minister or an outsider should be made a caretaker prime minister to oversee the election and constitutional amendments, said Somchai.

    Even if the caretaker government decided to stay away, P-Net and the CUPT would still go ahead with the discussion, he added.

    In a televised interview on Channel 9 last Friday, Thaksin hinted he preferred to hold closed-door session with the opposition in efforts to defuse the swelling political crisis. However, Thaksin's critics have insisted that the meeting should be televised to ensure openness and transparency. Enditem