Manama: Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa, Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, sat down with Gulf News in his office here to discuss the report issued by the Independent Commission of Inquiry, reaction to it, and how the nation can move forward.
Gulf News: Why commission a report?
Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa: When it cames to the report, we were very responsible. The world had started not believing us. There were things we couldn't defend, so we said we would investigate. And there were things we could defend, and the world did not believe us. So we had to find out the truth in a way the world accepts and understands.
The report exposed shocking abuses by your security services. Do you feel your government should resign?
No, because the first recommendation calls on the government and the civil society to work together in putting those recommendations to work.
Al Wefaq on Thursday said the government should resign. On Friday in Diraz, Shiite cleric Shaikh Eisa Qassam said the government should resign because they were responsible for the abuses that were committed.
No, the abuses that were committed, we are all responsible for, and the government will have to do its work hand in hand with Al Wefaq and with everyone in the civil society in order to address these issues. We cannot address them alone and you cannot address them alone and you cannot address them without the people who are responsible and report talks about.
Were you surprised by the report's contents? What surprised you most?
I was surprised by the details and the scope. What shocked me most is the level of treatment in a negative way in a lot of the security agencies.
Would you apologise to the people?
Let's wait and see how we study this report of the commission. We don't wait to waste our time in accepting because we're still looking into the recommendations.
After Pearl Roundabout was cleared the first time in February, Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa entered into a dialogue with the protesters and opposition parties. The commission reported that the initiative was an opportunity lost. Do you agree?
Yes. Because Al Wefaq and other societies with them, did not respond to the Crown Prince.
Was that a failing on their part?
Yes.
Is that what exacerbated the conflict?
No doubt. No doubt, because the Crown Prince waited for over a month, day and night, on some days until the wee hours of the morning, and no one came. And no one accepted the seven principles put down by the Crown Prince.
Is the government divided?
No.
Is the Royal Family divided?
No.
Outside speculation is that the Family is divided between King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa and the Crown Prince on one side, and Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, on the other.
We all look at His Majesty the King as our leader. His Majesty listens to all sides of views, and he makes all of the decisions of this family and we are not divided at all. You mentioned two people, and they were there, one to the left and one to the right of His Majesty when the report was presented.
Is it time to look at how long the Prime Minister sits in office?
Well it's time to look at how we get out of this issue, the problem we have and it's the responsibility of the government and the civil society.
In accordance with the Constitution, His Majesty appoints the Prime Minister. This issue was not brought on the parliament's floor by any one to be discussed. And there is a mechanism in the parliament to amend the Constitution, and that's how we should address it.
Who called in the Peninsula Shield?
We called in the Peninsula Shield. We wanted to enact the agreement because we felt that some of the work we had been doing, day and night, 24/7, protecting our installations, was not being protected since the BDF [Bahrain Defence Force] was helping the police.
So they did not come to do anything to do with the people, they came to relieve us in duties that we were doing regularly, even in peace time.
Would you do it again?
Yes, it could happen again in Bahrain, or it could happen again in another GCC country. This is their duty in protecting against outside threats.
When you say outside threat, the report found no evidence of interference from Iran, despite the evidence offered by the Bahraini government. Are you saying that there is outside influence from Iran?
There is outside influence from Iran and it was obvious and it was mentioned by His Majesty. This barrage of hate that we saw from officials and official media was one.
When it came to the Peninsula Shield, there were some members of the GCC who were willing to support, and some members who were reluctant.
No. All of them were here. You can see footage of the GCC Peninsula Shield forces here in Bahrain, and all of the uniforms are there.
Is there a threat by Iran and are they trying to destabilise the Kingdom?
They are trying to destabilise the whole Arab world. Al Quds Brigades and forces are even to be found in Latin America.
How are the relations with the United States? US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quite critical of the security forces here.
They, maybe, did not understand what was happening. Everyone reading the news thought these forces were coming in to crush and kill the protesters, and that did not happen, and I really welcome the statement [Thursday] from Secretary Clinton which welcomed the developments in Bahrain. That statement, for me, really counts.
When it comes to future arms deals, will Bahrain's record affect those deals?
That's what I heard when I was in Washington a few days ago. There was a Congressional draft resolution to stop the arms sale. The administration and the State Department took a very respected move — which we welcome — they decided to wait until the outcome of the report before moving ahead or not moving ahead. We see it as a sign of credibility to the commission and into our commitment to it, and we will prove ourselves.
Mahmoud Sharif Bassiouni [who headed the Independent Commission of Inquiry] says the Sunnis need to stop feeling threatened in their own country, and the Shiites need to stop feeling estranged in their own country ...
He said it most eloquently. Look, we have to work together. The Shiites need to feel enfranchised and the Sunnis will really have to feel the relief that there is no one in the Shiite community that they would perceive that is plotting against them with Iran.
This is what we need to reach and this is not easy. You know why? This is not a Bahraini issue. This is a wider issue. This is a microcosm here. This is the epicentre of the whole thing, of this whole issue around us, the region. This is not easy. This is a very tough task.
