(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Political issues will top the agenda of the negotiations, the first round of which was held on Saturday.
The opposition in Bahrain has expressed doubt about whether the so-called national dialogue would have any accomplishments. Leaders from only two of the opposition groups, al-Wefaq and al-Waad, are participating in the negotiations since other opposition leaders are in custody.
The talks come after Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa called for a national dialogue on reform and announced an investigation into the handling of the uprising by Saudi-backed regime forces.
Bahraini Parliament Speaker Khalifa Dhahrani said on Saturday that the dialogue aims at drawing up “common principles for the re-launch of the political reform process” with “no preconditions and no ceiling.”
Main opposition leaders say Bahraini authorities must end the protest-linked “show trials” and release the detainees before a serious dialogue can begin.
In mid-March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed their military forces in crisis-hit Bahrain to assist the Manama regime in its brutal crackdown on popular protests.
Experts say Saudi Arabia is critical of everything from the tone of the dialogue to the eventual offers on the table.
Scores of protesters have been killed -- many under torture -- and many others detained and transferred to unknown locations during the regime's crackdown on protesters.
According to Bahrain Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, there are currently over 1,000 political detainees, including medical staff, inside the country.
On May 14, Richard Sollom of Physicians for Human Rights told us that the Bahraini regime is systematically targeting doctors because they possess evidence of the Bahraini government's crackdown on protesters being extremely heavy-handed.
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