Bahrain's crown prince said Friday political parties had identified five areas of "common ground," including potential parliamentary and judicial reforms, in a bid to end years of instability in the U.S.-allied gulf Arab island state.
But the main Shiite opposition said the proposed areas did not meet their demands.
Sunni Muslim-ruled Bahrain has been shaken by persistent unrest since mostly Shiite Muslim demonstrators, who complain of political marginalization, took to the streets in February 2011 to call for greater democracy.