The Masing-Sng faction has laid a conditional offer for talks with its rival group in Parti Bansa Sarawak (PBDS) to try and bring an end to the long-drawn internal crisis.

Faction leader Dr James Masing told malaysiakini in an exclusive interview tonight that "I don't mind talking (to them) provided we use new rules. Third parties must come in, assist us (resolve the problems in the party)."

He made it explicitly clear during the interview in his house in Kuching that "by new rules there will have to be fresh elections, and that the list of branches should be one approved by the Registrar of Societies."

"In cases where branches have duplicate sets of committees, if this cannot be agreed upon they should be dropped altogether from the list. There are about 70 such branches", Masing added.