Published: 06/02/2007 12:00 AM (UAE)
Bahraini minister optimistic about ties with opposition
Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: A senior Bahraini government official with strong links to the opposition has expressed confidence that the tension that rocked the kingdom over the weekend would soon ease.
“I remain optimistic about developments in the country and I am convinced that the situation will improve. All that is needed is confidence-building measures,” state minister for foreign affairs Nizar Al Baharna yesterday told Gulf News.
Clashes erupted between the police and rioters in some villages on Friday after three activists were detained for making speeches that the authorities deemed detrimental to state security and national unity. Hassan Meshema, leader of the Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, chairman of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights Centre and Shaker Mohammad were released in the evening, but clashes in which the police fired tear gas and protestors hurled stones and burnt tyres continued well into the night.
Published: 06/02/2007 12:00 AM (UAE)
Bahraini minister optimistic about ties with opposition
Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: A senior Bahraini government official with strong links to the opposition has expressed confidence that the tension that rocked the kingdom over the weekend would soon ease.
“I remain optimistic about developments in the country and I am convinced that the situation will improve. All that is needed is confidence-building measures,” state minister for foreign affairs Nizar Al Baharna yesterday told Gulf News.
Clashes erupted between the police and rioters in some villages on Friday after three activists were detained for making speeches that the authorities deemed detrimental to state security and national unity. Hassan Meshema, leader of the Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, chairman of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights Centre and Shaker Mohammad were released in the evening, but clashes in which the police fired tear gas and protestors hurled stones and burnt tyres continued well into the night.
The statements issued by the various political associations and deputies on the issue ranged from outright condemnation of the arrests to utter rejection of the activists’ behaviour and reflect the widening sectarian fissure and political split in Bahrain.
But for Al Baharna, a co-founder of Al Wefaq society who eventually splintered from the religious-political formation, many of the thorny issues could be appropriately addressed if there is enough time to build an atmosphere of trust between the government and political societies that constitute the spine of the opposition.