“The work of independent international fact-finding commission created upon a decree issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Monarch of the Kingdom of Bahrain is important as Bahrain found itself in the aftermath of the incidents victim to an incorrect stereotype,” the FM in a statement said published in Al-Hayat newspaper and quoted by the BNA.
“There was need to setup a neutral body to carry out the tasks of rectification of any misdeeds,” said the minister adding: “The recent unfortunate incidents left their impact on many Bahraini citizens.” He also pointed out: “Anyone who abstains from dialogue is mistaken as the process of dialogue should be on-going amongst members of the one family.”
The minister emphasized that the national consensus dialogue attained unanimity on many of the themes debated and even exceeded them. New powers have been vested in the House of Representatives and dialogue amongst Bahraini citizens is a non-stop process.
In answer to a question about the Bahrain-Iran relationships, the minister said: “These relationships are tense because the statements emanating from various Iranian authorities would rather damage the relationships and the roots of understanding and yield undesirable sensitivities in bilateral relationships.”
The minister said that the Peninsula Shield Forces stationed in Bahrain today are now less than before and cited that there are joint forces in the GCC-member countries and it does not matter where they are stationed whether in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain or Oman or in any other GCC-member country.
On the Syrian issue, the minister said that the incidents make our hearts bleed and we wish reforms will be made so that everybody would reach a solution which leads the country to safety away from violence. On Manama’s decision to withdraw its ambassador from Syria, the minister said that that wasn’t security issue, but it was a political token stance which came as a result of consultations with our brethren in the region and he explained that this should send the right signal to those who would like to hearken since Bahrain is keen on Syria’s safety and security to the nth degree and he hoped that Bahrain’s decision to pull its ambassador out of Damascus should be a welcome decision and not be misunderstood as a hostile position but should be considered truly positive stance for the sake of Syria’s stability and better future.
In answer to a question whether there is any diplomatic crises in the offing between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Qatar in the aftermath of al-Jazeera English TV Channel’s documentary on Bahrain’s recent incidents, the minister said that he considers the film as one-sided, narrowly-focused, offensive, unfair and shunned by all Bahraini people but said that communications were made between both countries.
The minister emphasized that Bahrain is currently undergoing a very precise phase of national fabric restoration and wondered what use would be the film at this time and in this manner in the very atmospheres of dialogue and the independent fact-finding commission which is still doing its work. The minister was optimistic regarding the position of the fraternal Qatari officials and people whom the minister we know totally rejected the documentary film.
“We’re one family and Qatar is a sibling country. We shall transcend this issue,” said he. The minister also pointed out that the broadcast of al-Jazeera English TV channel was unacceptable to both brotherly peoples.
The minister also emphasized the joining into the GCC by Jordan citing the existence of a large Palestinian population living in Jordan do not constitute any hurdle because Palestinians are our very brethren and siblings.
The minister also said that he was looking forward to seeing Jordan joining the GCC gradually in the manner deemed appropriate by the Jordanians themselves in order for Jordan to become a fully-fledged and effective member of the GCC council and said that steps in this direction should be taken in the GCC foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled to be held next September in Riyadh.