The minority Sunni-led government of the Bahrain has begun talks with the majority Shia opposition. These talks come after months of anti-government protests that faced violent crackdown, so brutal, in fact, that doctors had been beaten and arrested for aiding wounded demonstrators.
The opening of the discussions were broadcasted on state television. Says the BBC,
"Parliamentary speaker Khalifa Dhahrani said the dialogue would have "no preconditions and no ceiling" on the demands that could be raised by delegates.
The aim was to draw up "common principles for the relaunch of the political reform process," he said.
Opposition delegates from al-Wifaq have promised not to pull their punches at the talks.
"Al-Wifaq will not abandon the demands of the people, which are; an elected government, a fair electoral law and an elected parliament with full powers," said al-Wifaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman, in an address to supporters on Friday."
The major tension behind the protests comes from the fact that the majority of the country practices Shia Islam, but the Sunni minority controls the government. The government of Saudi Arabia had sent "peacekeepers" to help put down the protestors. The United States of America has a vested interest in a stable Bahrain: the tiny country is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.
Source: BBC World News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13999741
The opening of the discussions were broadcasted on state television. Says the BBC,
"Parliamentary speaker Khalifa Dhahrani said the dialogue would have "no preconditions and no ceiling" on the demands that could be raised by delegates.
The aim was to draw up "common principles for the relaunch of the political reform process," he said.
Opposition delegates from al-Wifaq have promised not to pull their punches at the talks.
"Al-Wifaq will not abandon the demands of the people, which are; an elected government, a fair electoral law and an elected parliament with full powers," said al-Wifaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman, in an address to supporters on Friday."
The major tension behind the protests comes from the fact that the majority of the country practices Shia Islam, but the Sunni minority controls the government. The government of Saudi Arabia had sent "peacekeepers" to help put down the protestors. The United States of America has a vested interest in a stable Bahrain: the tiny country is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.
Source: BBC World News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13999741
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