A respite from the logjam over the jan lokpal protests came on Tuesday after the government offered to negotiate, again, with Team Anna following talks between activist Arvind Kejriwal and union law minister Salman Khurshid.

Kejriwal later made an announcement at the Ramlila Maidan, saying that the government is willing to sit for talks with Team Anna and has named union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee as the negotiator on its behalf.

The Hazare camp, however, is yet to name its negotiator. Kejriwal announced that Anna Hazare will be take the call on who will represent the actvists' camp in these talks.

The first meeting, since the crisis erupted on August 16 following the arrest of the 73-year-old Gandhian, between the two sides took place at the residence of Sandeep Dikshit, MP and son of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Emerging out of the meeting, Khurshid told reporters that "the meeting was an attempt to understand what is happening and I hope something should happen as time is running out....Wanted to understand the reason for their agitation."

Contact should be made at every level, Khurshid said, but maintained that he has not been officially nominated for talks with Team Anna.

However, Kejriwal, a key member of the Team Anna said the talks with government has "begun" but maintained that there was no breakthrough.

"He (Khurshid) just called us for a meeting and asked who will come for discussions. I will go to Annaji and ask him, who will go for discussions," Kejriwal said

After their meeting, both Kejriwal and Khurshid declined to go into the specifics of the discussions they had. Both said just a beginning has been made.

The minister said there was no discussion on issues.

Later talking to reporters, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shanker said "ice is broken...(issue) will be resolved. Deadlock is broken."

He also expressed concerns over Hazare's health.

PTI Reports

Pranab Mukherjee to negotiate with Team Anna

In the first major breakthrough in the week-long standoff, the government on Tuesday appointed finance minister Pranab Mukherjee as its negotiator for talks with Team Anna Hazare over their demand for a strong Lokpal.

Announcing the government's initiative, Hazare's close aide Arvind Kejriwal said the Gandhian will decide as to who will represent his team in the talks with Mukherjee.

The ice-breaking development came during the first direct contact between the two sides at the residence of Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit when law minister Salman Khurshid met Kejriwal and discussed how to go about the issue.

"Just now Salman Khurshid has invited us for discussions.

He has said that Pranab Mukherjee has been appointed by the government to talk to us.

"Anna is sleeping now. Once he gets up, he will decide as to who all will represent our team," Kejriwal told Hazare's supporters at Ramlila Maidan, where Hazare is fasting.

He also asked the crowd whether "we should go ahead with talks" and it responded with cheers.

The prime minister, who held discussions with Mukherjee and senior ministers A K Antony and P Chidambaram, also wrote a letter to Hazare informing him of the initiative and appealed to him to end his fast, which entered the second week today.

He also told him that the government was concerned about his health.