BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

14th July 2014

Kerry calls Bahrain
minister over
expulsion of U.S.
official
U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry on Monday
expressed his deep
concern to Bahrain Foreign
Minister Khaled al-Khalifa
over the expulsion of a U.S.
diplomat for meeting with
an opposition leader and
over charges brought
against the politician.
A senior State Department
ofcial said Kerry, who was
in Vienna for talks between
Iran and major powers over
curbing Tehran's nuclear
program, spoke by
telephone with the Bahraini
minister.
Bahrain expelled Tom
Malinowski, Assistant
Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor, last week,
saying he had "intervened
agrantly" in the country's
internal affairs by holding
the meeting.
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Tension Between
Bahrain and U.S.
Continues Over
Diplomat's Expulsion
A tense back-and-forth
between the U.S. and
Bahrain that began last
week with Bahrains
decision to oust a top state
department ofcial led to
what ofcials described
Monday as a frank phone
call between U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry and
Bahrain Foreign Minister
Khaled al-Khalifa.
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Bahrain accuses
Qatar of "sectarian
naturalisation"
Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al
Khalifa, Bahrains foreign
minister, attributed the
decision by his country to
recall its ambassador in
neighbouring Qatar to
national interests and to
show solidarity with Saudi
Arabia and the UAE.
We have deep-rooted ties
with Saudi Arabia and the
UAE, but there is also a
Bahraini aspect to the
issue, Shaikh Khalid said.
Many Bahraini citizens
have been lured by the
Qatari nationality under the
pretext that they have
families in Qatar. The issue
of nationality has a security
dimension. Another issue is
that the Qataris are
discriminating between the
citizens of Bahrain and are
acting on a sectarian basis.
If the Bahraini is Sunni and
member of an Arab tribe in
Bahrain, then the door is
wide open [for Qatari
citizenship]. However, if he
is Shiite, the door is shut,
the minister said in an
interview with Rotana
Khalijia TV channel on
Saturday.
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Bahrain put
'unacceptable'
conditions on US
envoy
Secretary of State John
Kerry voiced deep concern
to Bahrain for expelling an
American envoy and
making "unacceptable
demands" that foreign
ministry personnel attend
his private meetings, the
State Department said
Monday.
Kerry also told Foreign
Minister Khalid bin Ahmed
bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa in
a "frank" phone call Sunday
that Washington was
displeased that the Gulf
state charged two leaders
of Bahrain's largest Shiite
opposition movement who
met with the US ofcial
earlier this month, a senior
State Department ofcial
said.
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Bahrain expels US
diplomat
Two leading gures of
Bahrain's opposition al-
Wefaq party faced a second
day of questioning on
Thursday, less than a week
after holding an illegal
meeting with a senior U.S.
diplomat in Manama.
Al-Wefaq Secretary General
Sheikh Ali Salman and his
assistant, Khalil al-
Marzooq, say they were
asked by authorities on
Wednesday and Thursday
to provide details of their
discussions with Tom
Malinowski, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor.
The U.S. diplomat's talks
with the two members of
Bahrains main Shiite
opposition party led to his
expulsion from the Gulf
kingdom on Tuesday.
Washington said it was
deeply concerned by the
move and was considering
a response.
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