DUBAI (AFP)-Bahrain Sunni rulers opened a "national dialogue" on Saturday aims to get reforms back on track after a deadly March crackdown on Shiite-led protests, encouraged by an 11-hour decision by the main Shiite opposition bloc to participate.
Parliament Speaker Khalifa Dhahrani told the opening session, which was broadcast by State television that dialogue would have "no prerequisites and no ceiling" on the requirements, which could be raised by delegates.
The aim was to develop "common principles for the relaunch of the political reform process".
Authorities in Sunni-ruled archipelago has come under tremendous pressure from Western allies to open a dialogue with the opposition after they crushed the month-long street protests in the middle of March, with military backing from Bahrain, Arab neighbours in the Gulf.
Sentence triggered an outcry from international human rights groups and so that this year's Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled and the Mexican State credit rating cut.
The main Shiite opposition bloc, the Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq), ended the dialogue after a prolonged debate on whether to participate, which was resolved only late Friday.
Senior Al-Wefaq official Khalil al Marzooq said the Group's five-strong delegation would maintain its demand for prime minister in future may be majority bloc in Parliament, Al-Wasat newspaper.
Incumbent Prime minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, an uncle of King Hamad, has been in office ever since independence from the United Kingdom in 1971 and is widely despised by the opposition.
"We have no intention of sabotaging the dialogue, but we intend to bring to the requirements for people," was Marzooq quoted as saying.
The United States welcomed the national dialogue and praised Al-Wefags's decision to participate.
"Al-Wefags participation will add an important voice of Bahrain political opposition to a process that has the potential to serve as a vehicle for reform and reconciliation," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
In an address to supporters Friday Al-Wefags leader Sheikh Ali Salman, insisted: "Al-Wefaq will not give up the demands of the people, which is an elected Government, a fair electoral law, and an elected Parliament with full powers."
Under the current Constitution of Bahrain an elected lower House shares legislative powers with an appointed upper House.
Al-Wefaq boycotted parliamentary elections in 2002 in protest against the distribution of competence, as is even though it took part in the 2006 and 2010 the polls, winning a majority of the votes.
Sheikh Salman also demanded the release of all prisoners detained as part of the Government's punishment, insisting his party would '' accept nothing less. "
Security forces have detained hundreds of people in a wave of arrests after the penalty, most of them Shiites.
Small but strategic Bahrain, home base of the fleet the fifth us have experienced repeated bouts of unrest between the Shiite majority and the Sunni ruling family.
The Government's crackdown on Shiite-led protests that broke out in February left 24 people dead.
Saudi Arabia deployed about 1,000 troops and the United Arab Emirates some 500 police to Bahrain in March, liberated Bahrain security forces to carry out the punishment.
Kuwait deployed naval forces to guarantee Bahrain maritime border, a mission that ended last Saturday, according to the official KUNA news agency.
Al-Wefaq had threatened not to participate in the dialogue in protest at being invited to choose only five out of the 300 delegates, although it won all 18 seats which it contested in the 40-seat lower House last year.
Its all MPs resigned in March in protest against the sentence.
After Saturday's formal opening of the dialogue, were delegates are expected to meet three times a week to discuss not only political reform, but a number of issues from economic and social issues to non nationals.
Leaders of the Shiite majority accused the Sunni authorities shall maintain a policy for granting citizenship to Sunni migrants in an attempt to change the Kingdom confessional balance.
No comments:
Post a Comment