Bahraini Regime under Test: Opposition Enters Talks

Local Editor

More than two dozen government representatives and eight opposition members are holding talks behind closed doors in Manama. Bahrain's main opposition bloc al-Wefaq is also taking part in the talks.

According to opposition sources, the side raised nine points for the government to respond to and based on the response, they will decide whether or not to continue negotiations.
"The opposition will attend Sunday's session to discuss the nine points" on which they had sought clarifications from the government, the leading al-Wefaq member Hasan Aali told reporters.
The opposition had earlier said an agreement on the mechanism of the talks should be reached in advance and the results of the talks be put to a referendum and not be submitted to King Hamad for approval.

Meanwhile, Issa AbdulRahman, the official spokesperson for the National Dialogue, stated that the first day of the talks brought "consensus between all the participants to have two sessions per week - they will be meeting on Sundays and Wednesday to continue the talks".
He said the focus now rested on "building the bridges of trust" between all parties.
The dialogue comes at a tense time in Bahrain: Thursday marks the two-year anniversary of the first protests against the government. More than 90 people have been martyred since then as hundreds of activists were prisoned.
It is the second government-initiated reconciliation talks since the beginning of anti-regime protests in Bahrain in early 2011. The first round of talks, which were held in July 2011, collapsed after the opposition walked away from the talks, saying they were not carried out fairly.

The new round of talks come as Bahrainis have been holding protest rallies across the country for more than a week ahead of the anniversary.
Meanwhile, thousands demonstrated in the village of Sitra calling for reforms and carrying Bahraini flags alongside portraits of detainees, arrested during the two years of unrest.

Supporters of the February 14 youth movement have been protesting every night to chants of "Down Hamad" in reference to the kingdom's monarch.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org