By Nelson Banya
HARARE, Nov 22 (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday he was "very confident" that mediation efforts between Zimbabwe's government and the opposition would produce a solution to the country's political crisis.
Analysts and Western diplomats have cast doubt on Mbeki's chances of success in breaking the deadlock between the ruling ZANU-PF of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) after regional leaders appointed Mbeki as mediator earlier this year.
But an upbeat Mbeki, who has been criticised for being too soft on Mugabe's embattled government, said he was optimistic of a positive outcome.
"They (the talks) have gone very well. I came to Harare today to see the president and the leadership of the MDC so we can reflect on where we are and to report to them as facilitator how the talks have gone," Mbeki said after meeting the two sides.
Mbeki was asked to mediate between the MDC and ZANU-PF ahead of elections next year.
The MDC has accused Mugabe's government of rigging past elections and called for democratic reforms before the 2008 poll. The party has threatened to boycott the vote if those demands are not met.
The MDC has alleged that authorities have stepped up a campaign of repression as a means of stifling the opposition in the run-up to the election.
After meeting Mbeki, Tendai Biti, secretary general of the main faction of the MDC, told reporters the meeting was "very good" and said his party was optimistic the talks could end the country's political crisis.
"There's a chance that the Zimbabwe crisis might be resolved through this dialogue," Biti said.
"We remain fully committed despite the process's challenges and its slowness. As a party we believe he (Mbeki) is an honest broker and a genuine African with genuine concern about the suffering of Africans."
Biti said the MDC had raised its concerns about political violence against its members with Mbeki.
But Mugabe dismissed charges of a government crackdown on the opposition at a briefing with Mbeki.
"It's the usual accusation which the MDC makes. It is one basis they have for raising allegations against us and informing their friends, whoever they are," he told reporters after a meeting that lasted about an hour.
"I suppose he wanted to inform his friends that these are some of the matters they (the MDC) are talking about during the dialogue process. I wonder if he also raised the matter of the violence in his party."
The political stand-off has coincided with a devastating economic crisis seen in inflation of over 8,000 percent and severe shortages of food and fuel -- a situation critics blame on government mismanagement.
Mugabe, however, accuses the West of conspiring to ruin his government as revenge for Zimbabwe's seizure of white-owned farms. (Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by Giles Elgood)