Bahrain backs UK efforts

Bahrain yesterday firmly backed Britain in its efforts to confront street violence. Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa told the UK's new ambassador to Bahrain Iain Lindsay that 'freedom of expression should not mean insults or offending any leadership or government in the public media.' Shaikh Khalid was speaking as Mr Lindsay presented his credentials. The minister also praised historic ties between the two countries and emphasised Bahrain's keenness to further bolster relations. Meanwhile, a major Bahraini political movement has criticised the British government's crackdown on rioters. The National Unity Assembly also called for an urgent investigation into unrest in London and other cities. "We now ask the British government to investigate what is forcing their citizens to riot on the streets," secretary-general Abdulla Saad Al Howaihi told the GDN yesterday. "They (rioters) should be given a chance to air their views and speak out. This is exactly what they (the UK) told us."