15th May 2012

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Gulf keeps close watch as Saudis hold union talks with Bahrain
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain discussed a political union at a meeting in Riyadh yesterday in a development that could see the tiny Gulf kingdom largely absorbed by its neighbour. Critics of the deal, the details of which are yet to be made clear, say it might affect the line of succession in Bahrain where the Sunni al-Khalifa royal clan has been split on how to respond to demands for democratic reform from the Shia majority. Saudi King Abdullah has previously called for unity of all six Gulf monarchies, but in practice, only Bahrain is likely to be affected. A Saudi-led force of 1,500 troops crossed the causeway from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain last year to help crush mostly Shia protesters demanding democratic change. "Saudi leaders don't want the present crown prince to succeed the King," said Ali alAswad, a leading member of al-Wifaq, the main opposition party. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, who has been the main advocate of political reform within the royal family, is in Washington where he has had talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and other senior officials. Read More bilateral union as a first step to greater integration but officials even failed to agree on this. The elephant in the room here is Iran. What statements were made regarding the Persian state? Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, criticised Iranian provocations over the three occupied Gulf islands that are claimed by the UAE, Great and Lesser Tunb and Abu Moussa. Threats from Tehran were unacceptable, he warned. Iran is also routinely accused of backing the Shiadominated opposition in Bahrain. Read More

Saudi Fears Block Closer Gulf Union

Gulf Arab countries failed to agree on further integration May 14 after a high-profile summit seen as part of Saudi efforts to counter Irans growing influence and Shiite Muslim discontent in Bahrain. Gulf politicians had played up the idea that the Riyadh

meeting would establish a closer union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which sent troops in March last year to help Manama with an initial effort to squash the uprising. But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, speaking after the two hour summit, told a news conference that talks on a possible union of six nations had been postponed until the next meeting in Bahrain in December. Read More Manama, a senior Bahraini official has said.

Gulf union summit to be held before December: Media advisor

The extraordinary summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to sign the transition to the Gulf union will be held within months, ahead of their annual meeting in December in

GCC Summit Fails to Agree on Greater Integration

Whats the Story? Closer regional integration has been put on hold following a GCC meeting in Riyadh Thats no great surprise really is it. Putting on hold could feasibly be a motto for the GCC. A little bit harsh perhaps but not entirely far from the truth. So what happened this time? Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were expected to announce a

The Gulf union has been approved and it will be a reality very soon, Nabeel Al Hamer, the media advisor to King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa, said on his Twitter account. The laws, charter and other legal measures related to the implementation are being assessed. Read More

Most Bahrainis welcome proposed GCC union

Head of Gulf states delayed to approve a proposal of establishing a closer union between the six states at the 14th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit which was held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Tuesday.

The proposal, which will bring the six oil rich nations further together, is welcomed by majority Bahrainis. The GCC integrity embodies regional security, political, economic cooperation based on unified foreign, defense and security policy. Read More

Iran says Saudi-Bahrain union plan deepens crisis

Iran warned on Tuesday that Riyadh's plans to form a union with Manama would deepen the crisis in Bahrain, a day after Saudi Arabia told Tehran to keep out of its relations with the tiny Gulf kingdom. "Any kind of foreign intervention or non-normative plans without respecting people's vote will only deepen the already

existing wounds," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a statement carried by Iranian media. "The solution to the crisis in Bahrain is in response to the legitimate demands of the people and is fullling them," he added, repeating Tehran's stance on the situation in the Gulf Arab state. Iran "believes that the real power of the regional nations emanates from (governments) enjoying their peoples' backing," the spokesman added. Read More

Iran criticizes SaudiBahrain union plan

Iran criticized on Tuesday plans by Gulf Arab leaders to form a closer political, economic and military union to counter Shi'ite Muslim discontent in Bahrain, warning such move would "deepen the wounds" in the island state.

Gulf Arab countries held a summit in Riyadh on Monday to establish closer union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which sent troops in March last year to help squash the uprising in Manama, but failed to agree on further integration. The meeting was also a part of a strategy by the wealthy Sunni Muslim monarchies to counter Shi'ite Muslim Iran's growing influence. Read More

United Arab Front Against Iran Less Likely

Analysts say a united Arab front against Iran looks less likely after the Gulf Cooperation Council this week delayed deciding on forming a stronger political union.

Speaking at the talks in Riyadh on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud alFaisal said the announcement of a new union had been postponed so that all GCC states could be included and "not only two." Media reports predicted Saudi Arabia and Bahrain would form an initial alliance that other Gulf countries could join at a later date. Read More summit)," he told a news conference after a summit meeting. "The issue will take time...The aim is for all countries to join, not just two or three." He also said no steps would be taken on a closer relationship between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Earlier leading Bahraini and Saudi pro-democracy activists had criticized any plans for a unity deal between the two countries. Read More Al Khalifa introduced political reforms in 2001. In 2009, she returned to her homeland to teach economics at a banking institute. She married and had a son. But for the 31year-old, like so many others, the Arab spring changed everything. Young Bahrainis were inspired to set up their version of Tahrir Square on the anniversary of what they regarded as the failed political reforms introduced a decade earlier. Read More

Bahrain condemns Iranian MPs statements

The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Tuesday the Iranian charg daffaires to protest against the statements made by Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Iranian Shoura Council, and lawmaker from Zahedan Hossein Ali Shahriari. The Undersecretary of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign

Affairs handed over a protest memo in this connection to Ambassador Abdullah Abdullatif Abdullah. These statements represent a agrant interference in internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and a gross violation of its sovereignty and independence, which constitute a completely unacceptable conduct, the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Read More

Will the Bahrain-Saudi Marriage Survive Persian Objections?

Gulf Arab countries will continue discussions on a possible union of six nations but any such plan will take time, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud alFaisal said on Monday. "Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have approved the call for a commission to continue studying in order to present final results (to a coming

Western Support for Repression in Bahrain Stretches Back Decades

Activists and pundits accused the United States of hypocrisy last week forresuming arms sales to Bahrain, despite a continuing crackdown on dissent there, even as the State Department condemned Russia for selling arms to the Syrian government. The fact that the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet patrols the Persian Gulf from its base in Bahrain is

often mentioned in discussions of why the Obama administrations condemnation of the kingdoms use of force against protesters over the past year has been relatively muted. What is less frequently mentioned is how closely the American militarys position in Bahrain using it as a base to defend the kingdom and its oilproducing neighbors from potential foreign aggression while taking no position on the countrys treatment of citizens calling for democracy as criminals parallels that maintained by Britain for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Read More

Sisters under the scarf: Fighting on the front line

A few years ago, Alaa Shehabi, daughter of one of Bahrains most famous dissidents, was just another academic, writes Simeon Kerr. She was brought up in London, where her father, Saeed Shehabi, remained when other exiled political leaders returned to Bahrain after King Hamad bin Issa

Two passports and still no way out

There is not much that the government can do to help Danes with dual citizenship who find themselves detained in their second country. The Foreign Ministry has received several requests for help from people who were prevented from leaving their other

country of citizenship. Ole Mikkelsen from the ministry said that since the detainee is also a national of another country, the Danish government has limited authority. Under international law, countries are not even required to give us what is called consular access or even allow us to talk to the detainee, Mikkelsen told DR news. Read More

Bahrain: Drop Charges Against Rights Activists

Bahraini authorities should drop politically motivated criminal charges against Nabeel Rajab, a human rights activist, and release him immediately. Rajab is scheduled to go on trial on May 16, 2012, for "offending an official institution" ? namely, the Interior Ministry, which he criticized for allegedly ignoring attacks against boys and young protesters as well as Shiaowned businesses. (Beirut) - Bahraini authorities should drop politically motivated criminal charges against Nabeel Rajab, a human rights activist, and release him immediately. Rajab is scheduled to go on trial on May 16, 2012, for "offending an official institution" - namely, the

Interior Ministry, which he criticized for allegedly ignoring attacks against boys and young protesters as well as Shiaowned businesses. Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and a member of the advisory committee of Human Rights Watch's Middle East Division, was arrested at the Bahrain International Airport on May 5, 2012, upon his arrival from Beirut. Mohamed al-Jishi, Rajab's lawyer, told Human Rights Watch that the public prosecutor brought the "offending" charge against Rajab for four Twitter postings in recent months in which he criticized the Interior Ministry for, in al-Jishi's words, "not prosecuting attacks by armed gangs who have attacked civilians." Read More

US Arms Sale Sends Wrong Signal to Bahrain, Groups Say

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is sending the wrong signal to the government of Bahrain in proceeding with a partial sale of new arms to Manama, according to human rights activists and some lawmakers. Their reaction followed Fridays announcement by the State Department that it had cleared a number of

items for transfer out of a $53 million arms package that the administration originally announced last September but subsequently held up due to opposition from key members of Congress. In announcing what it called the renewal of U.S. security cooperation with Bahrain, the State Department stressed that none of the weapons approved for transfer could be used in the kingdoms ongoing efforts to suppress growing unrest on the island, especially among its majority Shia community. Read More weapons shipment to the Bahraini government, citing "national security interests." The announcement came just days after the Bahraini government vowed "tougher action" in its crackdown on protesters. Were joined by Dr. Nabeel Hameed, who is one of Bahrains only neurosurgeons and among dozens of Bahraini physicians and nurses who have been arrested and tried for treating anti-government protesters. After a threemonth prison stint that he says included abuse and torture, Dr. Hameed is expected to be tried by a Bahraini court soon after he returns home. Read More

As Obama OKs Weapons to Bahrain, Neurosurgeon Tortured by Regime Faces Trial for Treating Protesters
Human rights organizations are criticizing the Obama administrations decision to resume military sales to Bahrain despite the ruling monarchys ongoing repression of pro-democracy protests. The State Department has said it will allow a multi-million-dollar