Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has sent a letter to Perlis Menteri Besar Abu Bakar Hamzah requesting a meeting. He said the coalition's top leadership would sit down with Abu Bakar in the near future. The purpose is to settle the political crisis that has gripped the state. Speaking from Kota Bharu, Takiyuddin said direct talks were the best route to a solution. The letter marks the first formal step toward negotiations between the coalition and the state's leader. No date for the session has been fixed yet. The coalition hopes the meeting will calm tensions within the state government. A workable settlement would end the uncertainty hanging over Perlis.