MANAMA: Bahrain’s crown prince has pulled reconciliation talks back from the brink by organizing a meeting with the Shiite opposition, and the appointment of a royal delegate, and agreed topics for new talks, have raised some hope of progress.

Earlier this month, the government said it was suspending talks with opposition groups, who have boycotted the process since September after the arrest of a senior member.

But last week, in a surprise move, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, seen as a moderate member of the royal family, met with, amongst others, Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of the main Shiite opposition Al-Wefaq group.

Just a few weeks ago, Sheikh Ali was charged with insulting the Interior Ministry and “spreading lies,” part of what the opposition has described as a harsh crackdown on its members.

Khalil Marzouq, a senior member of Wefaq, whose arrest in September prompted the opposition to boycott the talks and who is out on bail, said the meeting had made him “cautiously optimistic.”

“We are not overwhelmed with the shift but we are open for a solution and ready for a partnership,” Marzouq told Reuters in Bahrain after an anti-government protest on Friday.

Both the government and the opposition blame each other for the political deadlock.

The opposition accused the ruling family of manipulating sectarian divisions to avoid democracy, while the government charged Wefaq of working for Iran.