Intense Disagreements in Dialogue Session: Bahrain

Disagreements in the fourth session of Bahrain’s National Dialogue escalated on Sunday between Bahrain’s Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Khaled Ben Ali al-Khalifa and the opposition.

After long deliberations, the two parties failed to find common ground, which drove the opposition’s delegation to postpone settling matters regarding the Bahraini King’s participation in dialogue until the ninth article ensuring security of the people is discussed, which was refused by the Minister of Justice.

After the session concluded, the Bahraini Minister of Justice accused the opposition of backing down from what they agreed upon concerning the government being a part of dialogue, however refused to describe the dialogue as reaching a dead end.
“We remain optimistic, and any serious solution cannot be reached but through dialogue,” the Minister stated.

Likewise, the Bahraini opposition’s spokesperson, Sayyed Jamil Kazem saw that dialogue cannot reach a real solution unless a representative of the regime took part in dialogue.

“There are many statements by the government’s official spokesperson, Samira Rajab stressing that the government is not a part of dialogue, and when we asked the Minister of Justice on the dialogue table, he was contradictive; he would accentuate at times that he represented the King, and at other times represented the government.”

As for the accusations that the opposition is wasting time in dialogue, Kazem clarified, “When we speak of peaceful principles that the regime be the main party in dialogue, is that considered a waste of time?”