US officials agreed there was no reason to cancel a $53 million weapons sale to Bahrain

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - US officials agreed there was no reason to cancel a $53 million weapons sale to Bahrain after a thorough review, a senior American diplomat said yesterday. He said there were no human rights concerns to derail the deal, which he believed would win the backing of legislators in Washington.

"We will consider all elements and circumstances on the ground - including human rights concerns, NGO (non-governmental organisations) monitoring and all issues that are part and parcel of the weapons sale process," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Persian Gulf Stephen Seche told journalists at the US Embassy in Bahrain yesterday.

In fact, he said Bahrain needed the arms - which include Humvees and missiles - to protect cities and its borders from rogue states.

The deal had drawn criticism because they could be used against Bahraini civilians, but the US Congress is expected to approve the sale.

Mr Seche added Washington had been informed by the Bahrain government that the arms would be used for defence, against any illegal anti-government demonstrations or backdrop of the threat from Iran and heightened tensions with the Persian state's neighbours in the Gulf.

He echoed comments by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, who said on Friday: "This sale is designed to support the Bahraini military in its defence function, specifically in hardening the country against opposition groups and potential attack or nefarious activity by countries like Iran."

However, Mr Seche - who holds the rank of Ambassador in the US State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs - also expressed concern about the divide in Bahrain.

"We are certainly concerned of what we see as a serious divide between Bahrain government and elements of the opposition," he said.

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