FM: Bahrain situation at 'very dangerous stage'

Sheikh Khaled expresses fears of division between religious communities in Gulf emirate.

Middle East Online

'What is happening in Bahrain is now at a very dangerous stage' ISTANBUL - The situation in Bahrain is at a "very dangerous stage" Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa told Turkish TV channel NTV Wednesday. "What is happening in Bahrain is now at a very dangerous stage. There is stability but, we are absolutely afraid of the division between religious communities," Al-Khalifa told in an interview with over-voice translation. Al-Khalifa said Turkey and Bahrain should have a common policy on the divison between religious communities in the Islamic world. The Bahraini foreign minister visited pre-dominantly Muslim Turkey to discuss the unrest in his country. "We should discuss with our Turkish allies about a common stance for these divisions and conflicts between religious communities," he said. Bahrain, which is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa royal family, has been rocked by Shiite-led demonstrations. "In the whole region we should have a strategic agreement on how we would proceed in this transformation process," he said, referring to the uprisings in the Arab world. Last month, Bahrain's Crown Prince Sheikh Salman offered to start an open dialogue over issues that instigated the month-long protests in central Manama. But the Shiite-led opposition says it refuses to be coerced into talks, demanding a "correct" environment for negotiations aimed at solving political issues in the Gulf state.