The National Democratic Opposition said the Bahraini Government’s deal with Britain to open a permanent military base in the Mina Salman port is a step that carries inconceivable motivations. The opposition noted that the step was the first of its kind since the British withdrew from the Arabian Gulf four decades ago.
“The agreement that was signed on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue, is rejected and may contribute to rising regional tensions”, the opposition stated in a press conference at Al Wefaq headquarters, on Tuesday . The opposition also highlighted that the agreement comes amidst political and security instability in the region with a rising concern of the terror attacks carried out by the so-called Islamic State, reminding of the terror attack that killed a group of youth and security officers in the eastern area of Saudi Arabia.
They said the deal recalls the “dark era of British imperialism” in the Gulf and comes in the shadow of a political stalemate in Bahrain.
“This agreement could be a payback for international political cover on the monocracy, marginalization and human rights violations”, they said. The Bahraini Authority continues to practice various forms of rights violations and abuses including collective punishment, arbitrary detention and harsh sentences, ban on peaceful protests, systematic sectarian discrimination and political naturalization.
The National Democratic Opposition also condemned the terror attacks that took place on Monday night and Tuesday morning, killing a policeman, a civilian, and leaving one expat with injuries. The opposition called for a transparent and independent investigation into the attacks, denouncing all forms of violence from all sides.
The opposition said the people of Bahrain are persistent to maintain their peaceful struggle for democratic transition to build a state of democracy and justice where the people are the source of all powers.
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