Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 2:10 am UTC
Posted 1 hour ago
Bahrain's opposition is demanding that the king dissolve the government and fire the country's longtime prime minister before they agree to enter talks on the tiny Gulf kingdom's future after nearly a week of protests and deadly clashes that have divided the nation.
Officials with the leading opposition party, the Shi'ite al-Wefaq movement, Sunday blamed the cabinet of Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa for the recent bloodshed that killed at least six people and injured hundreds more. The prime minister, who is the king's uncle, has held the post for 40 years.
Al-Wefaq called for the appointment of an interim unity government and constitutional changes to strip the monarchy of its powers to set policies and appoint all key political posts. The party, which withdrew its lawmakers from parliament last week to protest the crackdown, also wants to address long-standing claims of discrimination and abuses against Shi'ites, who represent about 70 percent of Bahrain's citizens.
Also Sunday, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa again tried to coax Shi'ite opposition leaders to meet and discuss their demands for democratic reforms.
These developments came as thousands of mostly Shi'ite pro-democracy activists re-established a tent camp in the main square of the capital, Manama.
The demonstrators set up tents, barriers and other facilities in Pearl Square, reviving an encampment they had established last week but which police destroyed Thursday in a deadly pre-dawn raid. On Saturday, the ruling Sunni al-Khalifa family ordered security forces to stand down following international condemnation of the crackdown on protesters.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said Sunday it stands ready “with all its capabilities” to shore up Bahrain's ruling royal family if a standoff with the Shi'ite-led opposition is not resolved soon. The official Saudi press agency reported that the kingdom urged Bahrainis to be “reasonable” and “accept” their rulers' offer of talks aimed at stabilizing the island state.
Sunni-led Saudi Arabia props up Bahrain's al-Khalifa family with cash and has long sought to prevent the tiny Persian Gulf state – with its majority Shi'ite population – from falling into Iran's orbit. With dwindling oil resources, Bahrain relies heavily on Saudi Arabia for money and security.
Some regional experts have long warned that a concerted Shi'ite challenge to the monarchy in Bahrain might prompt intervention from Saudi Arabia, which has its own restive Shi'ite minority population. The two countries are connected by a causeway.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday called Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to underscore the need for restraint by Bahraini security forces. Clinton also said the United States has welcomed steps by Bahrain's crown prince to initiate a “meaningful dialogue with the full spectrum of Bahraini society.”
The Reuters news agency, quoting State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, said Clinton and her Saudi counterpart “agreed to support Bahrain's dialogue with all its citizens.”
Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and is also a regional offshore banking center. Its Sunni monarchy has long been a strategic ally of the United States in efforts to fight terrorism and counter the regional influence of predominantly-Shi'ite Iran.