(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A Council of Europe delegation to Bahrain has backed the government’s National Dialogue talks, criticizing the biased view of the Bahrain crisis reported in international media. Mike Hancock MP, the former Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, agreed with the Bahraini government’s analysis of the crisis as emanating from sectarian division and the hidden influence of Iran behind the opposition movement. Gulf Daily News reported him as stating that
"We are here to listen, learn and tell a story about Bahrain to the outside world which perhaps has not been told before. There is a huge degree of ignorance at how the situation has been portrayed in the international media.
What happened here started out as an internal issue between the two sects but continued and gathered momentum as external influences played their part.
The strongest influences were undoubtedly from Iran and the US, and Iran can win a number of wars without firing a shot due to its sheer level of influence within society.
Now people have to know what will happen to this country if a solution is not reached and the only way of raising this awareness is by talking."[1]
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) is concerned about the lack of understanding and constructive input to the current political crisis shown by these statements.The delegation visit has not been widely reported in the press except for the Gulf Daily News article.
BCHR spoke to Mr Hancock, who expressed important concerns that human rights abuses committed by both the government and opposition supporters should be investigated. However, he reiterated that it was up to the opposition to make the talks work, and criticised them for walking out of parliament. He refused to name the groups he met in Bahrain other than Nabeel Rajab of BCHR, saying vaguely that he met members of the opposition and human rights groups. He also refused to say that the UK should do more to pressure Bahrain to institute real reforms.
It is a sad reflection of the international community’s apathy towards Bahrain that the only recommendation of this delegation is that the opposition must conduct talks with the government.
This is either ignorant or disingenuous, as the National Dialogue is not a negotiation between the government and opposition but between various civil society organisations mostly supporting the government. No member of the government is taking part.
Mr Hancock has swallowed the Bahraini government line that the international media is selectively reporting only the crimes of the regime, and that Iran is pulling the strings of the opposition.
What does he think Bahrain can gain from a National Dialogue which includes only 35 places out of 300 for opposition parties? Is he aware that the delegates are talking about such central issues to Bahrain as the failed investment of one delegate in a luxury housing development gone bust?[2] Is he aware that reforms such as the way government ministers are directly nominated by the King are not open to discussion?[3]
The Bahraini opposition agrees with the conclusion of President Obama, that "The only real way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can't have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail." We all agree that talks on reform need to happen, but so far the government doesn’t appear to be interested in talking about reform.
Unfortunately, the outcome of this delegation visit is symptomatic of the weakness of Europe and the US to put any pressure on a Bahraini government which is resolutely pro-market, pro-Western and anti-Iranian. It is not up to the opposition to pass reforms which will restore Bahrain’s credibility. It is up to the government.
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"We are here to listen, learn and tell a story about Bahrain to the outside world which perhaps has not been told before. There is a huge degree of ignorance at how the situation has been portrayed in the international media.
What happened here started out as an internal issue between the two sects but continued and gathered momentum as external influences played their part.
The strongest influences were undoubtedly from Iran and the US, and Iran can win a number of wars without firing a shot due to its sheer level of influence within society.
Now people have to know what will happen to this country if a solution is not reached and the only way of raising this awareness is by talking."[1]
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) is concerned about the lack of understanding and constructive input to the current political crisis shown by these statements.The delegation visit has not been widely reported in the press except for the Gulf Daily News article.
BCHR spoke to Mr Hancock, who expressed important concerns that human rights abuses committed by both the government and opposition supporters should be investigated. However, he reiterated that it was up to the opposition to make the talks work, and criticised them for walking out of parliament. He refused to name the groups he met in Bahrain other than Nabeel Rajab of BCHR, saying vaguely that he met members of the opposition and human rights groups. He also refused to say that the UK should do more to pressure Bahrain to institute real reforms.
It is a sad reflection of the international community’s apathy towards Bahrain that the only recommendation of this delegation is that the opposition must conduct talks with the government.
This is either ignorant or disingenuous, as the National Dialogue is not a negotiation between the government and opposition but between various civil society organisations mostly supporting the government. No member of the government is taking part.
Mr Hancock has swallowed the Bahraini government line that the international media is selectively reporting only the crimes of the regime, and that Iran is pulling the strings of the opposition.
What does he think Bahrain can gain from a National Dialogue which includes only 35 places out of 300 for opposition parties? Is he aware that the delegates are talking about such central issues to Bahrain as the failed investment of one delegate in a luxury housing development gone bust?[2] Is he aware that reforms such as the way government ministers are directly nominated by the King are not open to discussion?[3]
The Bahraini opposition agrees with the conclusion of President Obama, that "The only real way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can't have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail." We all agree that talks on reform need to happen, but so far the government doesn’t appear to be interested in talking about reform.
Unfortunately, the outcome of this delegation visit is symptomatic of the weakness of Europe and the US to put any pressure on a Bahraini government which is resolutely pro-market, pro-Western and anti-Iranian. It is not up to the opposition to pass reforms which will restore Bahrain’s credibility. It is up to the government.
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