Bahrain justice minister supports dialogue with Shiite-led opposition

Manama - Bahrain’s justice minister said the authorities are ready for dialogue to defuse the country’s crisis, but will not allow the Shiite-led opposition to hold security “hostage”.

“The door remains open for dialogue, but this dialogue should be based on a real renunciation of violence and recognising all components of society,” Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa told AFP in an interview.

The opposition that is dominated by Shiites, the largest community in the country, has been leading protests since February 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy under which the premier would come from the parliamentary majority rather than being named by the king.

The minister, said constitutional amendments ratified by King Hamad earlier this month, while dismissed by the opposition as insufficient, give broad powers to parliament.

“They give the elected chamber much more power to control the action of the government,” he said.

MPs now “have the power to vote no confidence in the prime minister for not cooperating” and refer their vote to the king without having to go through the all-appointed upper chamber, he said.

This failed to impress the opposition, and protests escalated demanding the departure of Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman.

“After the latest amendment, the head of the government could be removed if the elected chamber expressed no confidence” the minister said.

However, the final decision would remain in the hands of the king.

The opposition is not now represented in parliament after its 18 deputies resigned in February 2011 to protest violence used against protesters during the unrest in the country.

The opposition also boycotted the by-election held in September to replace its resigned MPs.

“According to the constitution, the post of the prime minister is not the prerogative of a family or a community,” insisted the minister.

He also claimed that “Khalifa has never been as popular as he has been since the crisis began,” in reference to Sunnis rallying in support of the ruling family in fear of a Shiite takeover.

But he charged that it is “unacceptable” that the opposition “takes as a hostage the security” of the country to assert its demands “as in principle there is no rejection of these demands ... but rather the way” to achieve them.

“These demands should not lead to violence, or divide the population or be adopted by clerics, a matter that gives a sectarian dimension,” he said.

He condemned the “escalation in violence” in Shiite villages, where security forces have become “the target of petrol bombs, after a fatwa (religious edict) calling on the demonstrators to crush” policemen.

The minister was referring to a January call by the Shiite spiritual leader in Bahrain, cleric Eisa Qasim: “He who attacks a female believer, crush him!”

This edict “on its own caused an increase in attacks on security forces,” he claimed, rejecting “sectarian incitement and hatred.”

The minister is in charge of overseeing the implementation of reforms recommended by an international commission that probed the deadly clampdown on protests last year. He voiced optimism over achieving “real reforms”.

The commission concluded that police used excessive force and torture, “was very important for us to have revealed the reality” of human rights abuses, he said.

Amnesty International estimates that 60 people have been killed since unrest began last year.

“Out of the 26 recommendations of the commission, 16 have been implemented and the rest are in the process of being executed,” he said, adding that 10 cases of torture have been handled by courts and 150 others are in the process.”