Drive to ease tensions in Bahrain

Manama: Lawyers of three Bahraini opposition figures may submit a request to the justice minister demanding the replacement of head public prosecutor.

The three men belong to the opposition Haq Movement and have been charged with plotting to overthrow the government. Their arrests have sparked protests and riots for three consecutive days.

Abdul Jalil Al Singace, was the only one to be released on bail,while Secretary general of the Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy Hasan Mushaim and clergyman, Sheikh Mohammad Habib Al-Miqad remain in police custody. On Wednesday riots raged in the outskirts of Manama and Shiite villages as six other opposition groups joined.

"The government needs to adopt dialogue, respect differing opinion, and investigate the causes for the chronic problems troubling the country instead of continuing with the cycle of violence and excessive use of force to resolve differences," said Ebrahim Sharif, secretary general of the National Democratic Action Society (Waad).

Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest parliamentary bloc, is spearheading a drive to secure the release of the two activists, who have been held since Monday, arguing that allowing them to go home would help ease the tension that has gripped several areas.

Six senior Shiite leaders, who issued a similar call for the activists' release, urged the government in a joint statement to initiate a "serious and honest" dialogue that will help put an end to the standoff that has marred social peace in the last four days.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, a delegation from Al Wefaq said that a "less dramatic" approach to the situation that is "not based on security options" would help ease the tension.

"We have urged the government to distance itself from any security-based solution, to start a dialogue with the opposition and to address all problems and issues in a way that avoids any form of escalation," Al Wefaq said.

Shaikh Khalifa insisted that all parties had to play their national roles and that the government was keen on addressing all issues within the framework of the constitution and the interests of the nation.

In their statement, the six opposition leaders, including Shaikh Eissa Qassem, the spiritual mentor of Al Wefaq, said that the release of Mushaima and Al Miqdad would avoid the deterioration of the situation.

However, several Bahraini MPs and groups are putting pressure on the local authorities to allow the law to take its course and not intervene in a case that is being investigated by the public prosecution.

Lawyers have confirmed that the investigation centered on alleged links to a terrorist netowrk, masterminded by two Bahraini opposition figures living in London, and involved a plot to carry out bombings to disrupt the December national day celebrations.