Local Editor

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that Bahrain's dissolution of the main opposition group risked escalating tensions in the Gulf Arab kingdom beset by a growing rift between the Shi'ite majority and its Sunni rulers.

Since June Bahrain has taken a series of steps that are viewed as a renewed opposition crackdown, including the arrest of prominent activist Nabeel Rajab and stripping Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassim of his citizenship.

"The Secretary-General deplores the dissolution of al-Wefaq, the main opposition political party in Bahrain," a statement from Ban's spokesman said.

It further added: "[The moves] risk escalating an already tense situation in the country. He calls for the resumption of an all-inclusive national dialogue."

The authorities announced the closure of al-Wefaq in June, under the pretext of fostering violence and terrorism.

Bahrain dismissed US and British criticism of this move as "unacceptable interference". Its high court ratified the decision on Sunday.

Al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman had his sentence more than doubled last month to nine years after an appeals court convicted him on charges of seeking the violent overthrow of the government.

Ban's office described the dissolution of al-Wefaq as part of a wider clampdown on freedom by the Bahraini authorities.

"The move is the latest in a series of restrictions of the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression in Bahrain," the statement said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team