Bahrain's opposition groups ease demands, call for talks

MANAMA, Bahrain - Main opposition groups in Bahrain have eased their conditions for talks to end a crisis that has drawn in neighboring Gulf armies and raised tensions in the oil-exporting region.

The groups led by Bahrain's largest Shiite Muslim opposition party, Wefaq, in a statement late on Saturday called on security forces to free all those detained, end their crackdown and ask Gulf Arab troops to leave so talks could begin.

"Prepare a healthy atmosphere for the start of a political dialogue between the opposition and the government on a basis that can put our country on the track to real democracy and away from the abyss," it said.