Manama demands Iran to help resolve Bahrain's problem

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi called on Tehran to help to the settlement of internal problems in his tiny Persian Gulf country.During the meeting which was held upon the request of the Bahraini delegation on the sidelines of the 66th meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, al-Khalifa expressed concern over the ceased ambassadorial activity between the two countries, and called for the return of the two countries' envoys to each other's capitals to revive the normal relations between Tehran and Manama. He viewed any difference among the Muslim people of the region as unpleasant and divisive. Salehi, for his part, underlined Iran's policy of non-intervention, respect for other states' sovereignty and sustained security in the region, and said, "Iran assumes that the settlement of Bahrain's problem depends on tolerance and talks between the Bahraini officials and the people." Senior Iranian officials had earlier this month announced that Salehi is in talks with the regional states and the world bodies in a bid to soothe the crisis in Bahrain. "Iran has conferred with a number of states and world bodies over the oppression of the Bahraini people and the solutions to this crisis," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said at the time. Iran announced in June that it had prepared a proposal to settle the existing problems in Bahrain, and said it was waiting for the Bahraini government's readiness to discuss the plan. "We are having consultations with different parties and we will declare our readiness for offering the proposal whenever they announce that they are ready," Salehi told FNA on the sidelines of the second international conference on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in Tehran on June 12. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had earlier made similar comments in a press conference here in Tehran. "I hope that in the near future conditions are prepared and we can present our proposal so they can resolve the issue," Ahmadinejad told a press conference in June, without elaborating on his plan. Dismissing claims that Iran meddles in Bahrain's internal affairs, President Ahmadinejad said, "Had Iran wanted to interfere in regional affairs, the entire region would have been affected." "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never had any problem with any country of the region," Ahmadinejad reiterated. "The ruler of Bahrain should sit down and negotiate with his people. It is not acceptable for him to have unlimited responsibilities. This is not accepted anywhere...The people should have the right to vote, a vote that is both free and fair," he added. Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty's over-40-year rule. Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13 to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors. So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing, about 1,000 others have been injured, while thousands more have been arrested. The Bahraini people have repeatedly condemned Riyadh's main role in the suppression of their revolution, and reiterated that they would continue protests until the collapse of the Al-Khalifa regime.