Manama: Opposition societies in Bahrain on Sunday said that they would not join a national commission set up to follow up the implementation of recommendations by an international fact-finding commission.

The societies, led by Al Wefaq, said they were concerned the commission, whose members have not been named, would not be balanced or would not go far enough to ensure change.

Manama has pledged to act on the recommendations by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and expected the participation of the opposition, even though it pulled out of the national dialogue held in July.

King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa on Saturday ordered the formation of the National Commission that will be given powers based on Paragraph 1715 of the BICI report issued on November 23.

The National Commission will examine the BICI recommendations and submit its own proposals, including recommendations to make the necessary amendments to the legislation and the application of the recommendations, the order said.

The National Commission will complete and publish its work in a framework of transparency before the end of February 2012.

The BICI report called for establishing “an independent and impartial national commission consisting of personalities of high standing representing both the Government of Bahrain, opposition political parties and civil society to follow up and implement the recommendations of this Commission.”

“The newly established national commission should examine the laws and procedures that were applied in the aftermath of the events of February/March 2011 with a view to making recommendations to the legislature for appropriate amendments to existing law and the development of new legislation, in particular with respect to legislative reform as contained in this recommendation,” the report said.