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Bahrain king offers dialogue to resolve crisis
Source: Agencies |
February 19, 2011, Saturday
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BAHRAIN'S king has offered a national dialogue "with all parties" in an effort to resolve a crisis that has killed four people and wounded hundreds, rocking the island, a key regional ally of the United States.
More than 60 people were in hospital today undergoing treatment for wounds sustained when Bahraini security forces fired on protesters as they headed to Pearl Square yesterday.
The shootings occurred on a day of mass mourning when Shi'ites buried the four people killed a day earlier in the police raid on the Pearl Square traffic circle.
In response to protests against his government that have drawn thousands of people on to the streets, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa announced late yesterday the crown price had been granted "all the powers to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all gracious citizens from all sections" in the national dialogue.
United States President Barack Obama spoke with the king yesterday evening, condemning the violence and urging the government to show restraint. Obama said the stability of Bahrain, home to the US Middle East fleet, depended upon respect for the rights of its people, according to the White House.
The unrest has presented the United States with a now familiar dilemma in the region. It is torn between its desire for stability in a long-standing Arab ally and a need to uphold its own principles about the right of people to demonstrate for democratic change.
The crown prince of the non-OPEC minor oil producer, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, appealed for calm on TV.
"Today is the time to sit down and hold a dialogue, not to fight," he said.
The unrest in the regional banking hub has shaken foreign confidence in the economy.
More than 60 people were in hospital today undergoing treatment for wounds sustained when Bahraini security forces fired on protesters as they headed to Pearl Square yesterday.
The shootings occurred on a day of mass mourning when Shi'ites buried the four people killed a day earlier in the police raid on the Pearl Square traffic circle.
In response to protests against his government that have drawn thousands of people on to the streets, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa announced late yesterday the crown price had been granted "all the powers to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all gracious citizens from all sections" in the national dialogue.
United States President Barack Obama spoke with the king yesterday evening, condemning the violence and urging the government to show restraint. Obama said the stability of Bahrain, home to the US Middle East fleet, depended upon respect for the rights of its people, according to the White House.
The unrest has presented the United States with a now familiar dilemma in the region. It is torn between its desire for stability in a long-standing Arab ally and a need to uphold its own principles about the right of people to demonstrate for democratic change.
The crown prince of the non-OPEC minor oil producer, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, appealed for calm on TV.
"Today is the time to sit down and hold a dialogue, not to fight," he said.
The unrest in the regional banking hub has shaken foreign confidence in the economy.
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