ID :
179622
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 14:18
Auther :

Iranian FM Warns about Consequences of Bahrain Crisis for Region

TEHRAN, May 3 (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi renewed Tehran's concerns about the crimes committed by the al-Khalifa and Saudi regimes against the defenseless Bahraini people and their consequences for all the regional countries.

"If the current developments in Bahrain continue, they will certainly have dire consequences for the entire region," Salehi told reporters in Doha before his departure to Tehran.

Salehi, heading a high-ranking Iranian delegation, arrived in Doha on Monday morning for an official daylong visit to the Muslim Persian Gulf state.

Salehi held separate meetings with Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani in his trip to Doha.

At the end of his trip to Doha, Salehi held a meeting with the Iranian expatriates residing in Qatar. He returned to Tehran on Tuesday morning.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty's over-40-year rule.

Violence against defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13 to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

Yet, protests and rallies continued throughout the country in defiance of the martial law put in place by Manama since last month.

On Saturday Bahrainis repeated their demand for the ouster of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and condemned Riyadh's involvement in the suppression of the revolution.

People have announced that they will continue protests until the regime collapses.

Demonstrators have been demanding constitutional reforms as well as an end to the 230-year-old monarchy, with hundreds camping out peacefully in the capital's Pearl Square since February 14.

Bahraini and Saudi security forces have been brutally suppressing anti-government protestors. So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and about 1,000 others have been injured.

X