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Bahrain, bankers optimistic on Gulf Air bail-out

By Abbas Salman MANAMA, April 30 (Reuters) – Bahraini officials and bankers said on Tuesday they were optimistic that the state owners of Gulf Air will come up with a much-needed capital increase to save the ailing regional carrier from collapsing. Representatives from owner states Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the Abu Dhabi emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are due to meet in Bahrain on Wednesday to decide on a $272.5 million cash injection for the $800 million indebted airline. “Bahrain is committed to backing Gulf Air because it is a well-established and reputed company,” the kingdom’s Information Minister Nabeel Yacoub al-Hamer said. “We are optimistic that other Gulf Air owners will support the airline, and we hope it will regain its leading position in the industry,” Hamer told Reuters. Unlike Oman and Qatar, Bahrain does not have its own flag carrier while the UAE is home to Dubai-based Emirates airline. Hamer said the owners did not object to the capital rise at last week’s meeting in Abu Dhabi but were likely to seek guarantees from the management that the money would bring the airline out of the red. “No one made reservations. They have asked to consult their governments before they commit themselves,” he said. But Qatari sources said Doha was reluctant to pump more money into the loss-making airline or to sell its stake. Bahrain-based Gulf Air, established 50 years ago, posted a net loss of $98 million for 2000 mainly on fuel prices increases and growing competition. It has not posted 2001 results. OWNERS COMMITTED TO AIRLINE’S SURVIVAL Gulf Air made international headlines in August 2000 when one of its Airbus A320s, on a Cairo-bound flight, crashed into the sea near the Bahraini capital Manama, killing all 143 people aboard. The crash was later blamed on pilot error. Later that year, the airline said it agreed with insurers to pay $125,000 in compensation for each adult and $75,000 for each child killed in the accident. Analysts said that although it was impossible for the owners to continue injecting money into the airline without getting benefits, their commitment to its survival was very strong. Last year, the four states extended $160 million to Gulf Air to ease its $800 million debt, contain accumulated losses and meet operating commitments after a global economic slowdown following the September 11 attacks. They also gave guarantees last September to cover $2 billion in new war risk insurance. In 1997, they agreed to grant an interest-free loan after Gulf Air asked for 100 million Bahraini dinars to increase its resources and avert a potential default on debts which then stood close to $2 billion. Bankers said Bahrain was relying on oil-rich Abu Dhabi to save Gulf Air from insolvency, but added that Manama would tap the private sector as a last resort to save the carrier. “Bahrain might acquire stakes of other states in Gulf Air if they failed to help because it’s a successful airline. There will be no problem in injecting money capital into it, and I believe the private sector is willing to,” one banker said. Last October, the airline said it would cut up to 450 staff and reduce its fleet to 26 aircraft in 2002 from the current 30 aircraft as part of measures to cut costs. Some bankers, however, say that Gulf Air needs a strong and reliable administration to run its operation. “The industry is growing, but Gulf Air lacks strategic planning, and it must restructure its administration if it wants to survive.” Gulf Air last year appointed international consultant Simat Helliesen and Eichner (SH&E) to make recommendations for restructuring and restoring its profitability, and conducting a comprehensive assessment of its business process and strategies. ($1-0.377 dinar)

Arab campaign to boycott U.S. goods picks up steam

By Nadim Ladki AMMAN, April 29 (Reuters) – From cigarettes to Big Macs, a growing number of ordinary Arabs are shunning U.S. goods in protest against Washington’s perceived pro-Israel policies. But a grassroots campaign across the Arab world to support the Palestinians by boycotting everything American appears so far to be having a symbolic rather than economic impact. Arabs enraged by Israel’s crackdown on Palestinians have taken to the streets of Arab capitals in recent weeks in the most widespread demonstrations in decades to demand action against Israel and the United States. Unable to influence the policies of their undemocratic governments, non-governmental and civic organisations, student bodies and professional associations have urged citizens to buy local and European alternatives to U.S. goods. “If all Arabs boycott U.S. goods, we will force the United States to reconsider its unjust policies against Arab and Islamic states,” said one Bahraini calling himself Ali. The United States gives Israel $3 billion a year in aid and sells it the world’s most advanced weapons. “Why should I help the economy of what I see as an enemy when it is destroying the social structure of a fellow Arab nation (Palestinians)?” asked Salem Seif, an Omani banker. Boycott organisers have drawn up lists of companies, mainly American, that are alleged to channel aid to Israel. FAST FOOD SALES FALL American fast-food chains appear to be suffering the most. Managers at KFC and McDonald’s branches in the Omani capital Muscat said sales had fallen by 45 and 65 percent respectively since January. “People have stopped coming like they did last year, mainly to show sympathy with the Palestinian problem,” said a McDonald’s branch manager, who declined to be identified or to give figures. Local McDonald’s franchise owners in a number of Arab states have published advertisements declaring that their staff are all locals and denying giving aid to Israel. In Jordan, McDonald’s went a step further. Marketing manager Nadia al Dairi said the franchise donated 10 percent of all sales in the first half of April to the Hashemite Relief Fund, a Jordanian government charity that gives aid to Palestinians.

>>>In Bahrain, which has seen some of the most violent protests in the Gulf against Israel’s military offensive, many ordinary people have started boycotting U.S. goods following calls by hundreds of protesters during the past three weeks. Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. “The American offensive against what they say is terrorism was in Afghanistan yesterday, is in Palestine today and we don’t rule out Baghdad being the next target tomorrow, followed by Syria and Lebanon,” one trader said. “For this reason, we are boycotting all U.S. products.” Even in Kuwait, the emirate liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991 by U.S.-led forces, the boycott call is making waves. “If we get an offer from a non-U.S. firm we will consider it seriously and will now think twice before taking U.S. equipment,” a contractor said. “We will look and see what is available, no matter who is our partner.”

Despite such statements, analysts say U.S. equipment will continue to come to Kuwait, especially military gear.

DOLLARS, MARLBOROS, MEDICINE In Morocco, the newspapers L’Economiste and Assabah have launched a campaign against the U.S. dollar, printing a headline every day urging Moroccans to avoid using the currency in their business dealings. “Boycott the dollar in your operations for the sake of Palestine. Whenever possible, opt for the euro,” it said. Hamdy el-Sayed said the Egyptian Doctors’ Syndicate, which he heads, had sent doctors and pharmacies a list of U.S.-made medical products with alternative local or European products. “We understand this is not economically effective, because people would continue to buy American goods. This action has more of a symbolic value than a real effect,” Sayed said. Cigarettes are another important target. “I’m a heavy smoker, but I quit smoking Marlboro and am currently smoking a French brand of cigarettes,” said Jordanian Duri Ajrami. Despite the growing popularity of the boycott, not everyone is convinced. Fatima Elouennass, a veiled Moroccan school teacher, said Arabs had become addicted to U.S. goods. “It’s like so many things in life which in fact are trivial, like Coke or a hamburger. But you’re afraid of being branded anti-U.S. or Islamist if you boycott them. Besides, you will never be the cool guy if you don’t consume them,” she said.

“U.S. culture and movies have brainwashed us.”

Bahrain’s king grants cash to former political prisoners

28 April 2002

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Former political prisoners who held government jobs during unrest that swept Bahrain in the mid-1990s are being compensated by the king for the income lost during time spent in jail, an activist said Sunday. Last year, nearly 30 Bahrainis demanded compensation from the government for the salaries lost while they were in detention in connection with the unrest led by the Shiite Muslim community campaigning for political and social reforms. The ruling family is Sunni Muslim while Shiite Muslims form a slight majority of the island’s 400,000 citizens. Bahrain’s monarch, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has pardoned more than 1,000 political prisoners since he came to power in 1999. Most of the former detainees have been compensated in the form of checks ranging from 2,500 dinars (dlrs 6,631) to 5,000 dinars (dlrs 13,262), said Hassan Mushaima, vice president of the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society. The compensations began earlier this month, affecting those who had been detained for up to three years, and held jobs at various government ministries when they were arrested, Mushaima said. He did not offer any other details. Government officials did not comment immediately. The Shiite unrest has subsided since Sheik Hamad succeeded his late father in 1999. He had since commissioned the drafting of a national charter, which calls for the reestablishment of a disbanded parliament, and pardoned the political prisoners. Municipal polls, Bahrain’s first elections in nearly three decades, will be held on May 9 and followed by legislative polls in October. Women can vote and run for office for the first time. am-hhr

Bahrain to revamp education system to promote democracy

28 April, 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — As Bahrain prepares for its first elections in nearly three decades next month, the government is planning a major revamp of its school program to reflect democratic changes underway in this tiny Gulf island state, officials said Sunday. As of September, students in nearly 200 government-run primary and secondary schools will be taught citizenship and civil rights and democracy, said Sheikha Lulwa Al Khalifa, curriculum director at the Ministry of Education. “Given the current overall national modernization of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the rapid international developments, there is a need to underline positive participation in political, social and economic life,” she told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a conference on citizenship education, organized in cooperation with the British government. “This means that schools have a greater responsibility to open up to the community, and its issues and problems. ” In February, Bahrain’s ruler, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, proclaimed himself king and the country a constitutional monarchy, part of the process seeking to transform Bahrain from the traditional emiri absolute rule to a more democratic society. Municipal elections are due May 9, to be followed by legislative polls in October, in which women can vote and run for office for the first time. Bahrain, which gained independence from Britain in 1971, last held elections in 1973 for the National Assembly, which was dissolved two years later. Education Minister Mohammed Al-Ghatam said education had assumed “crucial responsibilities” in instilling the sense of cultural and national values. Primary and secondary education in Bahrain is free, but not compulsory. Teachers are already undergoing training in the new curriculum, Sheikha Lulwa said. It wasn’t clear yet if the new subjects will be taught separately from other classes, or become part of social studies. Sheikha Lulwa said that learning by rote will be out, in favor of teaching students to “think for themselves, distinguish right from wrong and apply their knowledge to reflect a modern society.” Teachers will actively encourage students to express their opinion. British officials and education experts participating in the conference lauded the government’s efforts. “Citizenship education will provide vital underpinning for the greater public participation in decision-making which is being introduced in this country,” British Ambassador Peter Ford said.

“We had democracy in various forms at various extent in Britain well over a century and it is only recently we are introducing citizenship education as a compulsory subject in Britain later this year,” he said. am-hhr

The new kingdom of Bahrain: exploring Manama

Apr 24, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — From around 2000 to 1800 BC, the area of Bahrain flourished as a trade center. After early eras of Portuguese and Iranian rule, the Al Khlaifa family ascended to power in the 18th century, and has governed this Arab Gulf island ever since. Bahrain became a British protectorate in the 19th century, and independence was gained in 1971. Just recently, the King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa declared the Kingdom of Bahrain and adopted the amended constitution which calls for a better representation of the people in a bi-cameral Parliament. Legislative elections are scheduled to be held in October, and Municipal elections in May. The announcements issued by the King were made on the first anniversary of the endorsement by referendum of the National Charter for the modernization of the institutions and constitutional reforms. Manama is the capital of the Bahraini Kingdom. According to the Bahraini Government web site, in the last 30 years the city has more than doubled in size and now covers about 25 square kilometers. The population has also risen dramatically from 67,000 in 1971 and is currently estimated at about 160,000. The city is situated at the north-eastern tip of the main island of the Bahrain archipelago. Manama is encircled by a ring of highways, which connect it to the interior, the two causeways to Muharraq Island, a causeway to the Sitra region, and a causeway to Saudi Arabia. Manama provides great public services and hotels. As well as modern banking, shopping, diplomatic, residential and service areas, there still exists the traditional market. Many of the newer hotels and official buildings alongside the northern part of the city sit on restored land, while there are neighborhoods a few blocks inland that have changed just a bit in the last 50 years. The city’s major attraction is the National Museum, a modern building with interesting exhibits displaying rich collections of artifacts, marked in both Arabic and English and located on the Manama shore. The museum covers some 7000 years of Bahrain’s history, including its many grave mounds and temples; its Dilmun, Tylos and Islamic periods; and Arabic writing and calligraphy. There is also a fine art gallery displaying the work of Bahraini artists. Nearby the museum are reconstructed traditional buildings and boats. The Beit Al-Qur’an is a museum and research center downtown. Calligraphy is central to Muslim culture and is closely connected to religious life. Rare examples of calligraphy are on display in the museum. The centerpiece of the museum is its large collection of Korans, from all over the Muslim world, some dating as back as the 7th century. The only museum in world devoted to the Koran is this place, which also incorporates a mosque, conference hall, research library, and a Koranic school. South of Government Avenue is the marketplace; almost anything can be found there through the colorful pathways of the busy bazaar. The market is the core of exotic tastes, scents and touches, sounds and languages. The Souq is a place to spend the day or evening wandering around from goldsmiths, to spice merchants and tailors. Bab Al Bahrain means the “Gateway to Bahrain”, and this building guards the entry to the Soukh. It was built in 1945 as a suitable home for government use, beside what was then Customs Square and a pier. Renovated in 1986 it currently houses the Directorate of Tourism and Archaeology offices and a shop. While touring the Heritage Center, you can learn about Bahrain’s dramatically changing history through historic photos and outstanding displays. You can learn about the pearl diving industry, once the foundation of Bahrain’s economy, but crushed in the 1930’s by Japanese cultured pearls. Other rooms include fish and fishing, folk-music, date palms and falconry. The Al-Fatih Mosque offers non-Muslim tourists a rare opportunity to enter a mosque. It is large enough to hold 7000 worshippers and is the largest building in the country. Also known as the Portuguese Fort, Qal’at Al-Bahrain is the country’s main archaeological site. Beginning in the 1950s, excavations exposed the fort to be sitting on a hill formed from the rubble of previous cities. A total of seven layers of occupation were discovered, the earliest dating from 2800 BC. There are structures from different phases of the city’s past, including its Dilmun, Assyrian and Portuguese eras. The site is an estimated 5 kilometers west of Manama and is best reached by car or taxi, because buses don’t get very close. The Ad-Diraz Temple is a small second millennium Dilmun site. Its main attraction is the stone base of what was probably an altar, surrounded by the bases of many columns. The site is about 5 kilometers west of Manama and accessible by bus.

Barbar is a complex of three 2nd and 3rd millennium BC temples, probably dedicated to Enki, the God of Wisdom and the Sweet Waters under the Earth. Walkways give beautiful views of the excavated complex, which is about 10 kilometers west of Manama. The site is a 1/2 hour walk west from the bus stop at the Ad-Diraz Temple.

Bahrain asks about citizens missing in Afghanistan

MANAMA, April 22 (Reuters) – Bahrain asked Afghanistan on Monday for information about Bahrainis missing after the U.S.-led military campaign in the Asian country, the official Bahrain News Agency said. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khalifa told his visiting Afghan counterpart, Abdullah Abdullah: “The Kingdom of Bahrain is anxious to know their fate,” the agency reported. In March, local media said Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, sought the extradition of three Bahrainis believed to be among suspected al Qaeda and Taliban members held at a U.S. base in Cuba. Three other Bahrainis are also believed to have been held in Afghanistan since the United States launched its military offensive against al Qaeda and its Taliban hosts in October. The kingdom has voiced support for the U.S. anti-terror war and frozen bank accounts with suspected links to al Qaeda. The agency said Abdullah later met Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and delivered a message from Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai on the latest development in Afghanistan.

The United States blames Saudi-born Islamist militant Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network for the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington that killed around 3,000 people.

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MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The fate of Bahrainis who went missing during the Afghanistan war was discussed in Sunday’s talks between Bahraini and Afghan foreign ministers, the official Bahrain News Agency reported. At least six Bahraini citizens are being detained by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Cuba, according to the Bahraini Foreign Ministry and the Bahrain Human Rights Society. In an earlier report, the rights society said four Bahrainis were unaccounted for, but they are now believed to be among those in U.S. custody. Many Arabs went to Afghanistan to join the ranks of the Taliban regime and the al-Qaida terror group, led by the Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, which were defeated in last year’s offensive. Three Bahrainis are believed to be among the 300 men held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and another three are reportedly in U.S. military custody in Afghanistan. Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah, who is visiting Bahrain for the first time since the new Afghan government was installed in December, and his Bahraini counterpart, Sheik Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, the agency said. Bahrain’s only frigate is taking part in the allied naval operation in the Arabian Sea that seeks to ensure that Taliban and al-Qaida fighters do not manage to escape or receive supplies by sea. Last December, Bahrain became the second Arab country after Jordan to contribute to the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan. Jordan erected a military hospital in northern Aghanistan. Later Monday, Abdullah met Bahrain’s King Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

STREET ANGER TURNS INTO CALLS FOR BOYCOTT

 DUBAI, Apr 22, 2002 (Inter Press Service via COMTEX) — The university cafeteria at the University of Sharjah has stopped selling soft drinks manufactured by U.S. multinationals, and instead stocks other beverages produced in the country or region. The American economy is “surviving on Arab money, which is used to supply the Israelis with monetary and military assistance to kill the Palestinians who are resisting the occupation for 50 years,” Nawal Jasim, head of the Women Students’ Union at the university, said in explaining the boycott. “If the Arab governments do not boycott American goods, we believe it is our responsibility to take the initiative,” Jasim added in an interview. “We are a billion Muslims and imagine how much the U.S. economy would be affected if each of us boycott a soft drink or all American products.” These moves for a boycott, amid the Israeli offensive against Palestinian areas for weeks now, are triggering a people’s revolution of a kind rarely seen before in the region. They reflect how the angry political calls in the Arab street for Israel’s withdrawal are fast turning into a search for an economic threat against Washington, in order to force a policy shift by the United States. Unlike the rhetoric of Arab governments, people in the region are resorting to taking action at their level by boycotting U.S.-made products — thus, UAE journalists are organizing a boycott conference, some Lebanese have begun turning their backs away from American products like cigarettes. Some have gone as far as calling for a repudiation of the U.S. dollar in international trade. “I have never seen the streets in the Gulf filled with so much hatred and anger as they have been in the past fortnight. The situation is reaching boiling point,” said Dr. Saeed Hareb, professor of law at the UAE University. “The striking feature of the demonstrations is that the initiatives have been taken not by the governments, but by students as a collective group and by individuals out of their own choice,” he said in an interview. Last week, the UAE Journalists’ Association announced that a national committee for boycotting American goods would be formed in cooperation with public welfare societies and civil society organizations. In a statement, Dr Aisha al-Nuaimi, a member of the association, urged the government to support the first boycott conference on May 13-14. Anas Al Zaibaq, a Syrian marketing representative working for a private company in the UAE, said: “Since the United States has been supporting Israel in its crime, we as Arabs must put pressure on it by boycotting its products.” A war on the economic front is one language the materialistic West understands, he argues. “Many people, including me, have boycotted American products and this has driven most American franchisers in the Arab world to think of alternatives to boost sales, implying that losses are being suffered,” Zaibaq said in an interview. The first of the demands for the boycott of American products in the region came surprisingly from Bahrain, a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally of the United States and where its navy’s Fifth Fleet is now positioned. Anti-Israel and anti-U.S. graffiti reportedly began appearing there about two weeks ago. So far, the rallying calls have not just been for boycotting American goods, but: “we want the government to close the U.S. embassy and the military bases,” according to Manama’s Akhbar Al Khaleej newspaper. A group of people even managed to break through a U.S. embassy compound wall, damaging windowpanes and setting at least three cars on fire, leading the King Hamad Bin Issa Al Khalifa to warn Washington that the U.S. interests in the region were in jeopardy if it did not alter its Middle East stance. Apart from the Gulf, Lebanon, Morocco and Iraq have also witnessed “boycott” calls. American cigarettes became the first casualty of such calls in Lebanon. “The price of a packet of American cigarettes is equal to the price of a bullet that will be targeted at the Palestinian people,” said a leaflet distributed by university students in Beirut recently, according to the local Gulf News newspaper. Lists of Lebanese, Arab, European and Asian products have been distributed to houses as alternatives, resulting in the “sale of American cigarettes going down by half,” it added. Addressing a rally of 2,000 Iraqi students protesting Israel’s military offensive in the West Bank, ruling Baath Party official Huda Saleh Mehdi Ammash urged Arabs to convert their demonstrations into action. “Boycott American companies that support the Zionist entity (Israel) and take other initiatives that convert emotions to an effective Arab action in defence of our just cause of Palestine,” she was quoted as saying in the UAE’s The Gulf Today newspaper on Sunday. The same day, Akhbar Al Arab newspaper proposed in an editorial that the Gulf countries stop pegging their currencies to the U.S. dollar. “What is required is to delink from the dollar… and stop supporting this currency so that it no longer dominates international markets while it is effectively a weapon directed against the Arabs, their rights and their interests,” it said. Last week, the Moroccan newspaper L’Economiste suggested that the dollar be ditched in trade dealings and the euro be used instead, following the lead of Iraq, which last year switched its foreign commercial dealings to the euro. But Dr. Ali Ahmed Al Ghafli of the American University of Sharjah advises caution amid the height of emotion and anger. He recommends that economy and politics function independently and that one should not be used to influence the other, lest it hurt the Gulf and Middle itself. “Arabs have not yet exhausted all the political options to solve this political problem which can take them out of the frying pan (implying the severance of Jordan’s and Egypt’s ties with Israel which would put the U.S. under pressure),” he said in an interview. “Opting for the economic weapon may prove counterproductive given the region’s reliance on Western products. There is no logic in jumping from the frying pan into the fire,” he explained. But for some, calling for boycotts makes them feel less helpless than standing by as the Israeli offensive continues.

At a rally last week, for instance, Nawal Jasim of the University of Sharjah was busy calling on cooperative societies and foodstuff dealers in the country to instantly provide alternatives to American products to help a national boycott effort.

Owner states mull $272 mln Gulf Air cash injection

 ABU DHABI, April 22 (Reuters) – Gulf Arab states that own loss-making regional carrier Gulf Air GULF.UL will decide by April 30 whether to inject one billion dirhams ($272.5 million) into the firm, its chairman said on Monday. Chairman Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan told reporters the money which would increase the airline’s capital and help cover previous losses. Gulf Air is owned by the governments of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the Abu Dhabi emirate of the United Arab Emirates. In March, Sheikh Hamdan was quoted as saying the airline must cut jobs and overhaul its operations to receive a much-needed $159 million cash injection or face insolvency. Bahrain-based Gulf Air said last year it would cut up to 450 staff in 2002 to trim costs due to the global economic slowdown after the September 11 attacks on the United States. It has also said it would reduce its fleet to 26 aircraft from 30 this year.

The airline lost $98 million in 2000.

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Gulf Air board proposes injection of dlrs 280 million

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Gulf Air needs an injection of one billion dirhams (about dlrs 280 million) to save the airline from collapse, the chairman of its board of directors said Monday. Speaking after an emergency meeting of the board, Prince Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said the board proposed that the four owners of the airline share equally the injection. Gulf Air is jointly owned by Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Prince Hamdan, who is from Abu Dhabi, did not give a figure for the airline’s debts, but it recorded losses of dlrs 98 million in 2000. Its owners injected dlrs 159 million in May 2001 to help pay the deficit and meet the operating costs for that year. Prince Hamdan said representatives of the four owners asked for time to put the proposed injection to their governments and reach a final decision. They are expected to report back at the end of the month.

The airline, which is based in Bahrain, has 32 planes and flies to about 50 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and north Africa. str-rr-jbm

U.S. risking interests by Mideast stance – Bahrain

MANAMA, April 21 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said in remarks published on Sunday that the United States was jeopardising its interests in the Middle East by not pressing Israel to release Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. King Hamad, whose country is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, also likened the current Palestinian-Israeli violence to the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities and urged the United States to take a more balanced approach in the region. “There is no doubt that when the U.S. Secretary of State meets the besieged President of Palestine…and leaves him without any solution, the prestige and status of the United States in the region and the world are not enhanced,” the official Bahrain News Agency quoted King Hamad as saying. “This may also deeply hurt its (United States) interests,” he said. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell returned to Washington last week at the end of a 10-day Middle East trouble-shooting mission that ended with scant sign of progress towards ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S. President Bush recently ranked Bahrain a major non-NATO ally, which allows it to participate more fully in U.S. military training and gives it greater flexibility in procurement of U.S. defence equipment. Many Arabs believe Washington is blatantly biased towards Israel and angry anti-U.S. demonstrations erupted in many capitals after Israel started its military offensive on the West Bank earlier this month. King Hamad said the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was destabilising the whole region and that this would also harm U.S. interests in this oil-rich part of the world. “Everybody knows that the Palestinians are the victims of a full-scale war by Israel which exploits American support in a manner that does not serve U.S. interests,” he said. “There can be no stability in this vital part of the world as long as there is…unequal treatments of the parties involved.” Bahrain has seen some of the most violent demonstrations in the Gulf against Israel’s military offensive.

Many Bahrainis were further enraged recently when U.S. envoy Ronald Neumann asked a school gathering to observe a minute of silence for Israelis killed by Palestinians, after a student asked the group to pay tribute to Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.

Bahrain’s king says lack of action against Israel c…

21 April, 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain’s king, one of staunchest U.S. allies in the Gulf, warned Washington that its failure to pressure Israel into ending attacks on Palestinians could “terribly harm” its interests in the region. “Everybody knows that the Palestinians are the victims of a full-fledged war launched by Israel which exploits the American support in a manner that does not serve U.S. interest,” Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was quoted as saying Sunday by the official Bahrain News Agency. His interview was also published in local newspapers. Sheik Hamad said that President George W. Bush had personally confirmed to him that he wanted Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territories immediately and that he supported the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to the agency. The two leaders spoke on telephone on April 11. Sheik Hamad also criticized U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s 10-day Mideast mission last week, which produced no cease-fire he had sought. “There is no doubt that when the U.S. secretary meets the beseiged president of Palestine, who has been elected by his people, and leaves him without any solution, the prestige and status of the U.S. in the region and the world are not enhanced. This may also terribly harm its (U.S.) interests.” “We hope that the situation at this stage will not lead to the waning of U.S. values and the traditions of justice and freedom in the U.S. constitution,” Sheik Hamad said. Those values, “which have been a rich source of inspiration to many people,” may lose their importance if the rights of Palestinians continue to be trampled upon, he said. Bahrain, home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, has seen some of the most violent anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. street protests that have gripped the Arab world since Israel’s March 29 incursion in the West Bank. An April 5 protest outside the U.S. Embassy deteriorated into violence. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and a protester who was hit in the head by a rubber bullet died two days later. Sheik Hamad said that it was not fair to accuse the entire Palestinian nation of terrorism, particularly if its people had been made homeless for more than 50 years. “This discrimination is not fair, and it triggers despair and recourse to violence,” Sheik Hamad was quoted as saying. He said Israel cannot play a role of the superpower. “It’s (Israel’s) attitudes, size and system based on racial discrimination that do not enable it to be a model — in this era of multi-culturalism — of openness and the equitable peaceful co-existence between civilizations, peoples and religions.” The Bahraini monarch also called for the Israeli siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s compound to be lifted. “Otherwise, there is no meaning to democracy in the world,” he said.

Petronas to drill first Bahrain oil well in October

 MANAMA, April 21 (Reuters) – Malaysian state oil firm Petronas 1/8PETR.UL3/8 said on Sunday it would drill its first oil well in Bahrain in October. “Geological and geophysical works commenced in January, and we plan to drill our first well in October this year,” said Petronas President and Chief Executive Hassan Marican. “As the operator with a 100 percent equity in both blocks, we are aware of the challenges ahead,” said Marican, referring to blocks 4 and 6 in southeastern offshore areas, his company’s first oil and gas production sharing deal with the Gulf state. Bahrain last year picked Petronas and Texaco Inc, before it merged with Chevron to form ChevronTexaco , to drill for oil and gas near the waters of Qatar after a border dispute between the two Gulf Arab states was resolved. “Bahrain marks our maiden entry into an Arab Gulf state — a region which has been identified as one of our focus areas in our global strategy,” Marican said. Marican was speaking at the inauguration of a Petronas office by visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. “The signing of the exploration and production sharing agreement…has undoubtedly paved the way for greater Malaysian investment in this island kingdom,” Mahathir said. Bahraini Oil Minister Sheikh Isa bin Ali al-Khalifa said at the ceremony that the two blocks assigned to Petronas cover an area of 1,110 square km (430 sq miles) of shallow waters. Bahrain, a small independent oil producer, pumps around 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) from its fields and gets 140,000 bpd from an offshore field it shares with Saudi Arabia.

Maaysian prime minister arrives in Bahrain

20 April 2002 By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrived on a two-day visit to Bahrain Saturday that will include the inauguration of the office of Malaysia’s state-owned oil company, a company official said. Mahatir, who is leading a 160-member delegation of Cabinet ministers, government officials and businessmen, will open the Petronas office on Sunday, the official said on condition of anonymity. The office will be located on the top floors of the 25-story National Bank of Bahrain building, the official said. Bahrain’s government said in September that it had accepted the offer from Malaysia’s Petronas for oil and gas exploration and production. Petronas is expected to conduct exploration later this year of two areas off Bahrain’s eastern coast. Mahatir was welcomed at the airport by his Bahraini counterpart, Sheik Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the official Bahrain News Agency reported. Sheik Khalifa led a 55-member delegation to Malaysia last year when the two countries signed several memorandums of understanding to boost economic ties. Mahatir, who is Asia’s longest serving leader, last visited Bahrain in 1997. Last year, he called on the private sectors in both countries to play roles in the promotion and development of bilateral relations. While in Bahrain, Mahatir will also lay the foundation stone for a Malaysian commercial and distribution center, the news agency reported. Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, is the last stop of Mahathir’s weeklong tour that took him to Morocco and Libya to boost trade and discuss the war on terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The trip comes one month before his expected visit to Washington for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush. Mahathir is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians. At the same time, Malaysia, a moderate, predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country of 23 million people, has received U.S. praise for its tough line against terror, including detaining 24 suspects in an alleged plot by Islamic extremists to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. Earlier this month, Mahathir hosted a meeting of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference that failed to take up his challenge to label all attacks on civilians — from the Sept. 11 hijackers to Israeli troops to Palestinian suicide bombers — as terrorism. am-hhr

Bahrain march

19 April 2002

 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration assured the Arab world today that it would keep working with Yasser Arafat on a pathway to peace. But anti-American and anti-Israel sentiment was strong. In Bahrain, more than 3,000 marched from a mosque in the capital Manama to the U.N. office chanting: “Death to the U.S. and Israel!”

Four women withdraw from Bahrain municipal race

Apr 19, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — In a surprising move, four women candidates have quit the municipal elections race, set for May 9th, according to an announcement in Bahrain Thursday. Meanwhile, the Elections Committee director declared that the elections would be held in a “completely transparent manner” to ensure accurate and fair results. Four women were amongst six candidates who have withdrawn from the elections, said the elections Executive Director Sheikh Ahmed bin Ateyyatullah Al Khalifa, according to Gulf News. The four candidates were amongst 34 women who were initially on the candidates’ lists. As of now, there are a total of 314 candidates who will compete for the ten seats-each five municipal councils. Candidates have already started their campaigns, “pledging greater developments for their areas,” said Sheikh Ahmed. Many have erected tents at their homes’ front-yards to attract and receive voters. In addition, candidates have pasted election posters and signs in the streets. An estimated 237,000 people are eligible to vote in the elections, the first in Bahrain for three decades. Women, however, have the right for the first time to vote and run for office. Sheikh Ahmed expressed that the election procedures would be conducted under strict regulations, providing people with the opportunity to monitor the process. “The process will go through a special system, which we believe will ensure [a] free, fair and accurate outcome. The procedures comply with international standards for elections of which the most important elements were transparency”.

“Everything will be conducted under the eyes of the candidates. They will be given the opportunity to monitor the procedures, including voting and counting and the final results. The aim was to ensure the validity of the elections and the honesty of its results,” he added.

18 April 2002 Dr.Shannon O’Grady responds to the letter written by the US Marine in Bahrain ——————————————————————————– Hello, I just finished reading the US marine’s letter regarding the events that took place at the American Embassy in Bahrain, and I wish to make some comments about his narrative. There are a few facts that need to be brought out into the open to Americans, including those marines, so that they may begin to have a broader understanding of this situation.   In describing the events that took place, the marine labeled the Bahraini protestors as “radical Muslim groups” –  This I think needs to be looked at more closely.  I am afraid it has become a label all too commonly used in the West these days to label Muslims who protest without looking at the reasons why they are protesting.  My first question is what makes them so radical? These young people are expressing their frustration for the Palestinians who are being massacred in an absoulutely “radical” onslaught of military might by Ariel Sharon, the former war criminal responsible for numerous atrocities.   So because they are protesting and with violence (which I dont condone), does that make them a “radical” Muslim group.  Were we “Americans” who protested the Vietnam War considered “radical” Christians”?  So my bigger question is what makes them be labeled “radical”?  Their frustration and compassion? I am an American myself who lived and taught those very  students in Bahrain University for nearly nine years.  To me, there was nothing radical about them.  Yes, they are religous, but that is not a crime.  And at Christmas, they gave me Christmas cards, yes these very “radical” Muslims gave me Christmas cards.  And when I was in the hospital due to an infection, more than 50 of these “radicals” came to visit me. Their only complaint ever, was “why do the Americans not like us Muslims” — I used to respond that it was just ignorance that our news media paints a very one-sided picture.  But today, I find myself asking the same questions: It does seem to me, now that I am living back in the US, that this country has become so pro-Israel, that we are even afraid to come out and speak up when Israel is committing atrocities against the Palestinian people.  What does our media focus on – The Suicide Bombings,- but how often has it explained why these people are now taking their own lives and others? Again, the Muslims are conveniently being labeled as terrorists.  If people would read history, they would see the severe oppression and disgrace the Palestinian people have had to suffer the past several decades.  And now they are being totally victimized by the Ariel Sharon war machine.  Yes, it is wrong to kill oneself and kill others with them…the violence on both sides must stop.  But my point here is that we Americans must see beyond the labeling, the rhetoric of the media, and truely understand why these people are so desparate.  If the US wants to be friends with Arabs and is concerned about its image in the Arab world, then  it is time they offer them an olive branch of friendship. This does not mean another Mac Donalds, or an American Cultural Center, this means show them they are respected by supporting them, by giving them equal time in our media, by trying to look at this conflict with a more indepth understanding , beyond these unfortunate labels we put on people who we find offensive to our own strategic interests.  I can see very clearly now why the Arab people are so angry with Americans. And a final note on Bahraini protestors.  In the late 1980’s I was at a protest at the University of Bahrain, as the students were protesting Saddam Husseins use of chemicals on his own people, and these protestors were tear-gassed for the protest.  It was only a few years later that US troops landed in Bahrain to “defend” the Gulf countries against Saddam Hussein.  At that time the students were also labeled as “radical Muslims” – If that is the case, perhaps we better start to listen to what these “radical Muslims” are really saying. Shannon O’Grady, PhD

International Education and Development

A letter written by a US Marine about the demonstration outside the US Embassy in Bahrain on 5 April 2002

((Hello Everyone, Just to let you know the Embassy in Bahrain was attacked yesterday at 4:00 p.m. The five Marine Security Guards and the two Regional Security Officers were the only ones protecting the Embassy. The Embassy was closed so luckily we only had to protect ourselves and the Embassy compound from destruction. The protest was a pro-Palestinian rally that started a few miles from the embassy and became fueled for violence as radical muslim groups took charge and lead the march on the embassy at 3:30 p.m. The march was between 2600 and 3000 protestors, we do not have an exact count because it just happened several hours ago. The protestors were throwing rocks, sticks and fire bombs at the embassy. Between 20 and 30 protestors climbed the wall and started setting the cars, trucks and embassy on fire. When the protestors climbed the walls, the five Marines were authorized to use necessary force. We shot tear gas into the crowd of over 2600 people to try and turn them away from the compound and the continued destruction of our POV’s and satellite communication equipment, which was outside the embassy but inside the compound wall. At 4:10 p.m. no firefighter’s had arrived, so three Marines had to leave the embassy under covering fire of the Marines with gas on the third floor to go to the back of the compound to put out the fires themselves. We sustained minor injuries from the protestors attacking us with rocks and sticks as we chased them out of the compound and back over the walls using force, while the remaining Marine put out the fires to the best of his ability. After the fires were secured the Marines pulled back into the embassy and continued to force the protestors back onto the highway behind the embassy. The protests were mainly secured by 7:00 p.m. and the investigation was in full swing by this time as well. The Marines stayed at the embassy for security throughout the night and will continue to do so today. The host government was embarrassed that they could not control it’s own people and that their riot control police were no match for the number of protestors. The King of Bahrain instructed the ministry of interior to fix the problem before dawn, so that minimal damage would be seen this morning. When the Marines were told at 6:00 a.m. this morning we could leave to go get some sleep, we drove passed the outside of the embassy and were amazed. The graffiti had been painted over, the guard shacks that had been burned were replaced, the fire bomb burns on the wall had been painted over, the thousand’s of rocks that had been thrown were swept away, and the barbed wire that surround the embassy the previous day was gone. Beside the total destruction of all government property inside the compound it looked to anyone passing by that nothing had really happened. The host government representatives called the ambassador last night and told him they would replace everything that was destroyed and that cost was not an issue. The kingdom of Bahrain is so scared of pissing off the U.S. that it will do anything in it’s power to preserve it’s relationship with us even in the shadow of ignorance from it’s own people. The entire fight was caught on video because we saw the Al Jazerra News Choppers over our heads. The video may or may not be released because it will be handled the same way the Daniel Pearl murder was, since the government will try and pressure what is released and given the fact that the news agency that filmed the riot yesterday is the same one that had the Daniel Pearl murder on tape. This is the story of what took place on April 5th 2002 in Manama, Bahrain at 3:30 p.m. regardless of what you see or hear. Before I leave and go treat my scrapes and cuts and then go to bed for about 12 hours, I would like to say that the two RSO’s and five Marines kept the embassy from burning to an embarrassing pile of united states image, and successfully held off and injured any one that intended to come take our pride from us. Did I mention the riot was at least 2600 people, just wanted to make sure anyone out there who thought the Marines that guard the embassies were not bad ass boys with guns, does not have that in there heads anymore.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am off to bed because I am dead tired, but it was worth it because I had the time of my life yesterday, by far the most fun I have ever had. Oh and one more thing, the American flag is still flying as high and bright as it was before the riot, and the protestors’ flags are lying on the ground covered in mud. Semper Fi. ))

Former South African President Mandela in Bahrain

16 April 2002]

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Former South African President Nelson Mandela met Tuesday with Bahrain’s King Sheik Hamad, who expressed eagerness to boost ties — mainly economic — with South Africa, the official Bahrain News Agency said. The king also hailed Mandela’s efforts to boost relations and cooperation between Bahrain and South Africa, the agency said. This is Mandela’s third visit to Bahrain, a tiny Gulf island that is host to the regional base for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Mandela’s first visit to Bahrain was in 1995. South Africa has been seeking closer relations with Gulf states since multiracial elections put Mandela in office in 1994, sealing the end of apartheid. Mandela later met with Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheik Khalifa, who praised his role in contributing to promoting international security and stability and fighting poverty in Africa. Mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of treason and sabotage for planning guerrilla attacks by the armed wing of the African National Congress. He was released in 1990, as the system of white rule was being dismantled. He became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 and finished his term in 1999. He did not seek a second term. South Africa’s exports to the Gulf region were virtually nonexistent until 1991. Its main exports to the Gulf are base metals and minerals, machinery, mineral products, fruit and vegetables, chemicals, plastic and rubber products and prepared food stuffs. For South Africa, Gulf Arab states are a source of crude oil and potential investments and possible assistance for reconstruction and development programs. am/db

Bahrain at the forefront of pro-Palestinian, anti-US demos   by Habib Trabelsi   ATTENTION – REPETITION CORRECTING spelling of ambassador’s name ///   DUBAI, April 15 (AFP) – Bahrain’s “politicized” population has been taking to the streets daily over the past fortnight to express support for the Palestinians and denounce Israel and the United States.   Neighboring Saudi Arabia, where demonstrations are outlawed, has warned it will not tolerate street protests, while other oil-rich Gulf monarchies (Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) have allowed peaceful marches to enable a public outraged by Israel’s “massacre” of Palestinians to let off steam.   The protests, usually rare in the conservative Gulf region, have largely remained orderly, though demonstrators have often burned Israeli flags, and occasionally the Stars and Stripes too.   In Bahrain however, some of the virtually daily demonstrations that have been taking place since Israel launched its blitz on West Bank towns on March 29 have turned violent, leaving one man dead and hundreds injured.   On April 7, Mohammad Jomaa, a Shiite Muslim, died of wounds sustained two days earlier when security forces dispersed protesters who hurled stones and petrol bombs at the US embassy in Manama.   More than 100 people were also injured during the demonstration, in which some 20,000 mostly Bahraini protesters took part.   On April 10, around 500 students were treated in hospital after riot police fired tear gas to stop 2,000 pro-Palestinian students from reaching the US embassy.   Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and was formally designated by US President George W. Bush last month as “a major non-NATO ally,” clearing the way for expanded bilateral defense and economic ties.   But this has not prevented protesters from repeatedly calling for the closure of the US embassy and the expulsion of ambassador Ronald Neumann.   Neumann caused an outcry in the country when he asked during a student meeting in Manama on April 3 for one minute of silence for the Israelis killed in the conflict with the Palestinians.   Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa said Bahrainis’ pro-Palestinian activism should be attributed to “the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution.”   But protesters should refrain from any action that could “undermine the security and stability” of the Gulf kingdom, he warned.   The Bahrain Freedom Movement (BFM), a London-based Shiite opposition group, has slammed what it called the authorities’ “repression” of protests.   “Our people have since 1947 staged demonstrations to express solidarity with the Palestinians, and they refuse to have their protests quelled,” the group said in a statement.   Repression of demonstrations suggested the authorities were implementing an “iron fist” policy, the BFM said.   Bahrain’s Shiite majority led sporadic unrest which left at least 38 dead in the Sunni-ruled country between 1994 and 1999.   The BFM’s Saeed Shihabi said one explanation for the frequent demonstrations is that Shiites are “used to staging processions to mark Ashura,” which commemorates the massacre of the third Shiite imam Hussein and members of his family in Kerbala in the year 680.   “Bahrain’s population, which has long been politicized, is more materially and psychologically ready for street protests than its counterparts in other parts

of the Gulf,” he said.

ChevronTexaco to start drilling Bahrain’s offshore …

15 April, 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — ChevronTexaco Corp., one of the world’s largest energy companies, is planning to begin exploratory drilling for oil and gas in Bahrain’s eastern offshore area later this year, company officials said Monday. “We have a commitment to drill and we will go ahead with it, hopefully in September,” said Andy Norman, an international relations officer at the ChevronTexaco London office. “We are hopeful that we will find commercial quantities of hydrocarbons,” Norman told The Associated Press on the sidelines of an international geosciences conference and exhibition in Manama. The three-day GEO 2002 conference has attracted about 1,200 delegates, including exploration experts, and 105 exhibitors from 16 countries around the world. Bahrain’s government said last September that it had accepted the offers from U.S. oil company Texaco and Malaysia’s Petronas for offshore oil and gas exploration and production. Chevron and Texaco merged last October to form ChevronTexaco Corp. with the headquarters in San Francisco. A seismic survey had been completed in recent years to determine the potential areas for drilling, said Kevin Kveton, ChevronTexaco’s exploration manager in Bahrain. But the analysis of the survey is still ongoing, he said. The three licensed areas lie in the eastern offshore areas in the territorial waters of Bahrain, Kveton said, without disclosing the precise areas where the drilling will take place. ChevronTexaco will explore one of the three areas. The exploration of the other two will be conducted by Petronas, he said. The Bahrain government sought bids from international companies following a ruling by the International Court of Justice in March, which resolved a 62-year-old maritime border dispute with Qatar. Kveton said that the project was still in its very early stages, but that he was optimistic that if commercial quantities of hydrocarbons were to be found the time frame for developing an offshore field could be carried out over a short period of time. “Due to close proximity of oil facilities on the island of Bahrain, this should allow for accelerated development of any commercial discovery,” he said. Bahrain produces about 37,000 crude oil barrels a day and receives an additional 140,000 barrels a day from the offshore Abu Safa field it shares with Saudi Arabia. “We are pleased to continue our long history of activity in Bahrain with this new exploration activity,” Kveton added. Chevron was the company that first discovered oil in Bahrain. Bahrain’s first oil well was drilled in 1932, the first discovery of oil in the Gulf. am-hhr

Even as protesters target U.S. symbols

13 April, 2002

By DONNA BRYSON Associated Press Writer CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Arab protesters have recently attacked symbols of America’s power, pelting a U.S. Embassy compound in Bahrain with Molotov cocktails and trashing a McDonald’s in Cairo. But despite the attacks, many Americans living in the Middle East say they still feel fairly safe. Most protesters seem to understand that U.S. foreign policy, not Americans living abroad, are the target, said Ralph Berenger, a professor of mass communications at the American University in Cairo and a native of Heyburn, Idaho. “They hate it, they protest against it, they despise it and they’ll do everything they can to overturn it,” Berenger, 57, said. “On the other hand, they like Americans. Individually, they like Americans.” U.S. diplomats have cautioned Americans to “exercise extreme caution” amid daily protests across the region sparked by an Israeli incursion into Palestinian towns that began almost two weeks ago. Chants of “Death to America!” alternate with “Death to Israel!” at the protests, since many Arabs see the United States as Israel’s main sponsor and protector. Elizabeth Smith, a Libertyville, Ill. native who is doing anthropological research in Egypt, says she avoids the protests and feels no threat. She does not avoid discussing U.S. politics with Egyptians, many of whom, she said, want to know how an American would explain policies they see as biased toward Israel. “I feel a responsibility to clarify that there are a minority of Americans who disagree actively with U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East,” she said. “I don’t want to be an apologist for the U.S.” At a meeting called Wednesday to discuss security with Americans living in Egypt — an estimated 15,000 do — U.S. Embassy officials fielded fewer questions about safety than about U.S. policy. A young man among the 200 or so Americans gathered in an embassy auditorium received sustained applause when he displayed a small sign: “Stop U.S. aid to Israel.” Several at the forum wore tiny Palestinian flags as lapel pins. While embassies are telling Americans to stay away from protests and large gatherings at this volatile time, the U.S. government has issued no warning of possible terror attacks targeting Americans over Israel’s actions. In Jordan, there was little apprehension among members of the 3,000-strong American community. Lisa Khoury, a 44-year-old Dallas native married to a Jordanian, said she understood the Arabs’ angry reaction to Israel’s sweep through the West Bank. “People are frustrated, you can’t blame them, it is a terrible situation,” she said. “Demonstrations are good; people are trying to tell the world to look at their problem.” During protests, there’s often no sign of unrest elsewhere in the same city. But security has been visibly tighter at places like the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, with truckloads of Egyptian riot police parked outside. On April 5, protesters’ Molotov cocktails set a satellite dish and a sentry box on fire inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Manama, Bahrain. Bahraini police guarding the embassy fired tear gas and rubber bullets. A protester who was hit in the head by a rubber bullet died two days later. The Bahraini protester was one of four Arabs — including an Egyptian, a Jordanian and a Yemeni — to die in violence linked to the demonstrations. On its telephone answering service, the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain urges Americans to maintain a low profile because of “high-level emotions.” Graffiti reading, “Death to America and death to Israel!” has been scrawled on sidewalks and shop shutters throughout the island. “I don’t live in fear, but I am just being cautious and levelheaded,” said Jeffrey Jones, 53, of Washington D.C., a trading company executive and president of the American Association of Bahrain. The Gulf state is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet and some 2,300 U.S. military personnel and other Americans.

Angry Bahrainis have called on their government to evict the 5th Fleet and the U.S. ambassador — who has been accused of further inflaming emotions by calling at a Bahraini forum for a moment of silence to show respect for Israeli as well as Palestinian victims of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Mass protests

13 April 2002

(Reuters) : Thousands of people took to the streets after Friday prayers across the Gulf region. In Bahrain, more than 5,000 marched near the village of Duraz, west of the capital Manama, to protest against Israel’s incursion and demand the closure of the U.S. mission in Bahrain — home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. In Yemen, witnesses said thousands gathered in the main square of the capital Sanaa, chanting: “No to Zionist-American Terrorism. Yes to a Palestinian State.” In neighboring Oman, some 200 marchers in Muscat chanted “God curse America” and “Israel get out from Arab land.” Last week, angry Bahrainis tried to storm the heavily fortified U.S. embassy, hurled gasoline bombs and set vehicles ablaze. A civilian died from injuries sustained in the rally. Wednesday, Bahrainis tried to march again on the U.S. mission, but police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. There were no fatalities.

There were no signs of heavy security Friday and witnesses said clergymen appeared to be in control.

Thousands of Bahrainis demonstrate against Israel, US   MANAMA, April 12 (AFP) – Thousands of people marched in Bahrain Friday to denounce the “massacres” perpetrated by the Israeli army against Palestinians in the West Bank and demand the closure of the US embassy in Manama.   Shiite Muslim clerics led some 4,000 faithful who marched after Friday prayers in Al-Darraz village, five kilometers (three miles) west of Manama, carrying flags of Lebanon’s Shiite militant Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.   “Stop the holocaust in Palestine,” read one of the banners raised by the protesters, who chanted slogans demanding the “closure of the US embassy in Bahrain,” the “expulsion of the US ambassador” and a “boycott of American products.”   The demonstrators also carried a banner with the portrait of a young man, Mohammad Jomaa, who succumbed to wounds sustained when security forces broke up a protest that turned violent outside the US embassy in Manama last Friday.   In Muharraq, four kilometers (2.5 miles) east of the capital, around 2,000 people marched in protest at Israel’s two-week-old assault on the West Bank, carrying Bahraini and Palestinian flags and pictures of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin.   Scores of demonstrations have taken place in Bahrain since Israel launched its West Bank offensive on March 29, and anti-American sentiment has been on the rise in the Gulf kingdom, which is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and was formally designated by US President George W. Bush last month as “a major non-NATO ally.”   Bahrain’s King Hamad has deplored last week’s petrol bomb attack on the US embassy and told Bahrainis they would render the Palestinians a greater service if they sent them relief aid or looked after their orphans than if

they staged street protests.

Protesters target U.S. symbols

13 Apr 2002

By DONNA BRYSON Associated Press Writer CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Arab protesters have recently attacked symbols of America’s power, pelting a U.S. Embassy compound in Bahrain with Molotov cocktails and trashing a McDonald’s in Cairo. But despite the attacks, many Americans living in the Middle East say they still feel fairly safe. Most protesters seem to understand that U.S. foreign policy, not Americans living abroad, are the target, said Ralph Berenger, a professor of mass communications at the American University in Cairo and a native of Heyburn, Idaho. “They hate it, they protest against it, they despise it and they’ll do everything they can to overturn it,” Berenger, 57, said. “On the other hand, they like Americans. Individually, they like Americans.” U.S. diplomats have cautioned Americans to “exercise extreme caution” amid daily protests across the region sparked by an Israeli incursion into Palestinian towns that began almost two weeks ago. Chants of “Death to America!” alternate with “Death to Israel!” at the protests, since many Arabs see the United States as Israel’s main sponsor and protector. Elizabeth Smith, a Libertyville, Ill. native who is doing anthropological research in Egypt, says she avoids the protests and feels no threat. She does not avoid discussing U.S. politics with Egyptians, many of whom, she said, want to know how an American would explain policies they see as biased toward Israel. “I feel a responsibility to clarify that there are a minority of Americans who disagree actively with U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East,” she said. “I don’t want to be an apologist for the U.S.” At a meeting called Wednesday to discuss security with Americans living in Egypt — an estimated 15,000 do — U.S. Embassy officials fielded fewer questions about safety than about U.S. policy. A young man among the 200 or so Americans gathered in an embassy auditorium received sustained applause when he displayed a small sign: “Stop U.S. aid to Israel.” Several at the forum wore tiny Palestinian flags as lapel pins. While embassies are telling Americans to stay away from protests and large gatherings at this volatile time, the U.S. government has issued no warning of possible terror attacks targeting Americans over Israel’s actions. In Jordan, there was little apprehension among members of the 3,000-strong American community. Lisa Khoury, a 44-year-old Dallas native married to a Jordanian, said she understood the Arabs’ angry reaction to Israel’s sweep through the West Bank. “People are frustrated, you can’t blame them, it is a terrible situation,” she said. “Demonstrations are good; people are trying to tell the world to look at their problem.” During protests, there’s often no sign of unrest elsewhere in the same city. But security has been visibly tighter at places like the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, with truckloads of Egyptian riot police parked outside. On April 5, protesters’ Molotov cocktails set a satellite dish and a sentry box on fire inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Manama, Bahrain. Bahraini police guarding the embassy fired tear gas and rubber bullets. A protester who was hit in the head by a rubber bullet died two days later. The Bahraini protester was one of four Arabs — including an Egyptian, a Jordanian and a Yemeni — to die in violence linked to the demonstrations. On its telephone answering service, the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain urges Americans to maintain a low profile because of “high-level emotions.” Graffiti reading, “Death to America and death to Israel!” has been scrawled on sidewalks and shop shutters throughout the island. “I don’t live in fear, but I am just being cautious and levelheaded,” said Jeffrey Jones, 53, of Washington D.C., a trading company executive and president of the American Association of Bahrain. The Gulf state is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet and some 2,300 U.S. military personnel and other Americans.

Angry Bahrainis have called on their government to evict the 5th Fleet and the U.S. ambassador — who has been accused of further inflaming emotions by calling at a Bahraini forum for a moment of silence to show respect for Israeli as well as Palestinian victims of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Hundreds hurt as Bahrain police tear gas pro-Palestinian student demo by Mohammed Fadhel ATTENTION – UPDATES with casualty figures, other protests /// MANAMA, April 10 (AFP) – Some 500 students taking part in a pro-Palestinian rally were treated in hospital Wednesday after riot police fired tear gas to stop the protest reaching the US embassy in Manama, witnesses and police sources said. The majority suffered respiratory problems, but five, apparently hit by tear gas canisters, were in a “serious” condition, according to hospital sources. Around 2,000 students from five schools were heading for the US embassy, scene of a violent demonstration Friday when Bahrainis hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at the mission. The students tried to assemble again in the car park of al-Salmaniya hospital where the injured were treated, but police fire teargas again and broke up the gathering. One Bahraini injured in the head by a tear gas canister last Friday later died of his injuries, becoming the first person to die in protests that have swept the Arab world since Israel launched its latest military offensive into Palestinian territory on March 29. Bahrain’s Information Minister Nabil al-Hamar told AFP security forces had intervened after students threw stones at police and a Molotov cocktail at a police car. “Marches are authorised but we are in a law abiding state and any behaviour that does not respect the law will be punished. We will not tolerate sabotage and attacks on the law,” Hamar said. An anti-US protest also took place Wednesday in Al-Darraz village, northwest of Manama, where schoolchildren smashed windows of a restaurant belonging to the US fast food chain MacDonald’s. Around 3,000 students protested on Bahrain University’s campus, demanding that the institution’s Centre for American Studies and the US embassy in Manama both be shut down. And police dispersed a group of schoolchildren who took to the streets of Issa village, 12 kilometres (eight miles) south of the capital, to protest against Israel and the United States. In an apparent bid to ease tensions, four Shiite leaders, issued a statement expressing their “regret” at the violence that has accompanied the recent wave of protests in Bahrain. “We urge citizens to attack neither restaurants, shops, nor private and public properties no matter what the pretext because that is not allowed by religion,” said the signatories, who included Sheikh Abdul Amir al-Jamri, the Gulf kingdom’s leading Shiite figure. “We urge the sons of our people to show self-restraint and not to approach sensitive or diplomatic places,” they said. According to the statement, “the message that the Bahraini people wanted to send has been received by the US administration. Any escalation will harm everyone and will not be useful for the Palestinian issue.” Bahrain’s King Hamad condemned Tuesday the attack on the US embassy, warning he would not tolerate threats to the democratic reforms in his country. Bahrainis would render the Palestinians a greater service if they sent them relief aid or looked after their orphans, rather than by staging marches and protests, the king said. Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and was formally designated by US President George W. Bush last month as “a major non-NATO ally,” clearing the way for expanded bilateral defence and economic ties. The move made Bahrain just the third Arab state, after Egypt and Jordan, to enjoy the special status.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters hospitalized…

10 April 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Pro-Palestinian protesters in Bahrain clashed with police Wednesday, leaving hundreds injured and anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. sentiments soaring. “U.S. and Israel are the terrorists,” read one banner carried by the protesters in Bahrain, reflecting sentiments felt by millions throughout the Middle East who see America as backing Israel’s military crackdown inside Palestinian West Bank towns. Scores of riot police kept thousands of protesters several hundred meters (yards) away from the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Manama, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowd. Doctors at the nearby Salmaniya Medical Complex said they treated and released about 450 protesters, mostly suffering from tear gas inhalation. The protesters demanded the severing of Bahraini-U.S. diplomatic ties and for the U.S. 5th Fleet — which is based on the tiny Gulf island state — to be dismantled. “The Americans are the enemies, not only of the people, but also of God,” said one protester, a 17-year-old student who would only give his first name, Hussein. “We want the Americans to leave our country.”

Later, a small crowd of school students smashed the window of a McDonald’s restaurant in Saar, a district some 10 kilometers (six miles) southeast of the capital Manama. There were no injuries.

Scores Injured in Bahrain Clashes

10 April 2002

 MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Hundreds of high school students and other protesters, chanting slogans against Israel and the United States, clashed Wednesday with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a march on the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain. Some 300 protesters were treated at the nearby Salmaniya Medical Complex, most for tear gas inhalation but some for minor injuries from rubber bullets, doctors said. Some doctors staged their own small protest in support of the demonstrators, marching in the hospital compound chanting, “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” It was the latest of repeated angry protests in Persian Gulf nations — where such demonstrations are not common — since Israel launched an invasion of Palestinian towns after a series of suicide bombings by Palestinians. Last week, a similar demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Manama turned violent, with protesters hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails into the embassy grounds. Police guarding the embassy fired tear gas and rubber bullets. A protester who was hit in the head by a rubber bullet died two days later. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa appealed to Bahrainis on Tuesday to express their anger at Israeli policies in a “civilized” and calm manner. Wednesday’s demonstration began with about 500 high school students and grew to several thousand people by mid-afternoon. Many wore black in mourning for Palestinians killed in the West Bank fighting. Clashes began when some protesters threw stones at police several hundred yards from the embassy. “U.S. and Israel are the terrorists,” read one banner. Protesters demanded U.S. forces leave Bahrain, a tiny island state that is home to the base of the U.S. 5th Fleet. “The Americans are the enemies, not only of the people, but also of God,” said one protester, a 17-year-old student who would only give his first name, Hussein. “We want the Americans to leave our country.” Later, a small crowd of school students smashed the window of a McDonald’s restaurant in Saar, an area outside the capital. There were no injuries.

Street demonstrations have swept the Arab world since Israel began its military campaign, and anger has also turned against the United States, seen as supporting Israel.

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 MANAMA, April 10 (Reuters) – Police in Bahrain fired teargas to disperse about 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters trying to march on the heavily-fortified U.S. embassy in the Gulf Arab state on Wednesday. Chanting “Death to America, Death to Israel,” the demonstrators swarmed around the embassy, which has been surrounded by hundreds of policemen since a riot on Friday in which petrol bombs were flung into the compound. A Bahraini man died of injuries sustained during last week’s rally. Some protesters burned tyres on roads leading to the embassy on Wednesday as helicopters hovered above. The crowd disbanded shortly afterwards and there were no casualties. The embassy closed during the protest. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has seen some of the most violent demonstrations in the Gulf against Israel’s military offensive in Palestinian areas in the West bank. As in many other countries, U.S. interests have been targeted by protesters angry at Washington’s support for Israel. Four leading Shi’ite Muslim clerics called on Bahrainis to avoid marching on diplomatic missions on Wednesday. “The message the Bahraini people tried to deliver to the American administration has been heard,” their statement said. “Any escalation in the situation without control will affect us all and will not benefit the Palestinian cause,” it added. Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa on Tuesday called on citizens to march peacefully and avoid any violence. Many Bahrainis were further enraged last week when U.S. envoy Ronald Neumann asked a school gathering to observe a minute of silence for Israelis killed by Palestinians, after a student asked the group to pay tribute to Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. The violence is the worst in Bahrain since sectarian unrest in the 1990s when members of the Shi’ite Muslim majority demanded a bigger say in the affairs of their Sunni Muslim-ruled Gulf island state.

REUTERS

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UPI (10 April 2002):

In Manama, dozens of Bahraini demonstrators were injured when police forces used tear gas and clubs to disperse them and prevent them from approaching the U.S. Embassy.
Police used “excessive violence,” Nabil Rajab, a member of a human rights organization, told Paris-based Monte Carlo radio. Rajab said he saw some protesters being hit by rubber bullets.

Bahrain people demand U.S. 5th Fleet must leave uploaded 09 Apr 2002 MANAMA, Bahrain — Muhammad Jumaa, a 24-year-old hospital worker, died on Sunday, two days after being shot in the head at a demonstration that penetrated the grounds of the U.S. Embassy, his death feeding a brooding resentment of the extensive U.S. presence on this Persian Gulf island. “America’s blind support for Israel and its silence encourage Israel to kill more Palestinians, just as America did in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Ibrahim Abdullah, one of a steady stream of mourners who made their way to the dead man’s dusty grave on the edge of a poor village populated by Shiite Muslims just north of Manama, the capital. The men and women at the graveside echoed the sentiments of thousands of mourners who marched in the funeral procession earlier in the day. “No American base in Islamic Bahrain!” they chanted, referring to the U.S. 5th Fleet’s headquarters. They also demanded that Bahrain expel the U.S. ambassador for what they consider highly insensitive remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The American base is very dangerous here,” Abdullah said. “Because of their presence we feel crippled. They will stand with the government against the people. They are against Islam. Americans hate Islam.” Jumaa, by all accounts a quiet man who was engaged to be married in February, died of internal bleeding two days after he was shot 30 yards from the embassy. There are conflicting reports about whether he was hit by a tear gas canister or a rubber bullet and whether the fatal shot came from the embassy itself or was fired by the Bahraini police. His family contends that the shot came from the embassy grounds, but in a brief statement, the U.S. mission here denied that its Marine guards had shot at any protesters. It said the guards had resorted to tear gas only after protesters had scaled the walls of the compound, shattering windows and setting embassy vehicles on fire. “In response to this provocation, embassy security personnel fired tear gas cylinders to compel the intruders to leave the embassy ground,” the statement said. “Embassy personnel did not fire at demonstrators.” Three leading Muslim clergymen on the island and six of its nascent political groups issued separate statements on Sunday demanding an investigation of the episode as well as the expulsion of the ambassador, Ronald Neumann. Neumann had requested that a model U.N. school assembly observe a moment of silence for Israeli victims of suicide bombings. His suggestion came after a student asked the assembly to stand to observe a moment of silence for the Palestinians. “While I understand and respect the deeply held anger and frustration that Bahrainis feel about the events currently taking place in the region,” the ambassador said later in a statement, “it would have been inappropriate for me to accept being forced into a one-sided demonstration of respect simply because the conference organization had called for respect only for one side.” The State Department has said it fully backs his decision. But given the raw mood in the Arab world, the message beamed around Bahrain and indeed throughout the region was that the Americans were openly siding with the Israelis, even in death. “Maybe the ambassador thought what he was doing was fair,” said Mansoor al-Jamri, a former spokesman in exile for the Bahrain Freedom Movement, an Islamist opposition group, who has come home under a general amnesty. “But to Muslim people around the world who feel the Americans value them at less than zero, this sparked everything.” The public anger was evident in graffiti sprayed on this sleepy island’s usually pristine walls during the funeral march. “Death to Sharon!” some of them read, and “Down With U.S.A!” along with the more striking “Death to al-Khalifa!” The latter may have referred to Bahrain’s emir, Sheik Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who moved to calm the public mood on Sunday by ordering the interior minister to begin an immediate investigation of the episode at the embassy. Until now the Bahraini ruler, scion of a minority Sunni Muslim family that has ruled over the Shiite majority for more than 200 years, has enjoyed a certain honeymoon with his people. After succeeding his father in 1999, Hamad pardoned the leaders of the Shiite opposition groups who fomented unrest on the island and began carrying out political reforms that will bring the island’s first parliamentary elections in more than two decades this fall. The presence of the 5th Fleet headquarters was not an issue here. Bahrainis were aware that an aircraft carrier and other vessels assigned to the fleet helped to patrol southern Iraq and supported the fighting in Afghanistan. After an initial public distaste for incidents of drunkenness by sailors prompted the Navy to introduce more stringent discipline, the Americans have been popular for the money they bring to myriad businesses. “The Saudis who come here just spend their money on Russian girls,” said one Bahraini. “The Americans go to all the shops, the gold market, and they tend to be polite.” But political groups began to make the U.S. presence an issue in February, when they say the Bahraini government made a ham-handed attempt to intimidate them by warning that they would be placed on U.S. terrorism watch lists if they fomented trouble at home. The U.S. Embassy denied any such prospect. But that incident, followed by the Israeli offensive in the West Bank and the ambassador’s remarks, suddenly made Americans very much an issue. “The people want the government to close the embassy and to remove the American soldiers from Bahrain,” said Hassan Mansour, 30, who visited Jumaa’s grave, decorated with the Palestinian flag and that of the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah. “They are undesired people here. We feel very angry.”

Source:  HoustonChronicle.com

Angry Bahrainis urge U.S. embassy’s closure

7 April 2002

 By Abbas Salman MANAMA, April 7 (Reuters) – Thousands of people, chanting “Death to America, Death to Israel,” joined a funeral procession on Sunday for a 24-year-old Bahraini who died of injuries sustained during a pro-Palestinian rally at the U.S. embassy. “We call on the government to kick out the American ambassador,” Abdul-Amir al-Jamri, an influential Shi’ite Muslim cleric told mourners setting off from the capital Manama to the village of Mohammed Jumaa Ahmed, six km (four miles) away. Women in black wept as youths carrying the coffin chanted: “There is no God but God, the U.S. is the enemy of God.” Two days ago thousands of protesters hurled petrol bombs and stones at the U.S. mission in Bahrain — home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet — to demonstrate against the widening Israeli onslaught against Palestinians in the West Bank. Earlier on Sunday, around 300 Bahraini students gathered outside the main U.N. office to demand the closure of the U.S. embassy, chanting: “Down, down, USA.” The U.S. embassy reopened on Sunday with armed security men deployed around the compound. Friday’s protest marked one of the most serious incidents of unrest in Bahrain for several years. Waving Palestinian flags, mourners demanded a probe into the death of Ahmed who sustained head injuries in Friday’s protest after riot police fired rubber bullets and teargas. “We demand an end to the American-Bahraini alliance,” said a statement by the National Committee in Support of Palestinians. Information Minister Nabeel Yacoub al-Hamer voiced “regret” over Ahmed’s death. On Saturday, he said that police had only fired teargas at the protesters, some of whom smashed the windows of the mission and set some of its vehicles on fire. Witnesses said hundreds of riot police clashed with the protesters, firing teargas and rubber bullets in a vain effort to keep them out of the smoke-filled compound. The embassy said its security staff had been compelled to use teargas, but that they did not fire at demonstrators. Conservative Gulf Arab states have found themselves walking a tightrope as public fury mounts against their key Western ally, the United States. Many Bahrainis were enraged on Wednesday when U.S. envoy Ronald Neumann asked a school gathering to observe a minute of silence for Israelis killed by Palestinians after a student asked the group to pay tribute to Palestinians killed by Israel. A leading Bahraini newspaper demanded a public apology from the ambassador for “insulting” Bahrainis. Several peaceful rallies have been held in Bahrain and other Gulf states since Israel launched its military assault.

Injured Bahrain Protester Dies

7 April 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A protester who was hit by a rubber bullet during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain last week died Sunday, hospital officials said. Mohammed Juma Ahmed Ali, 24, was one of two people admitted to Sulmaniyah Hospital in Manama with critical injuries after Friday’s protest by about 10,000 people over U.S. support for Israel. Ali, who worked at the hospital as a cleaner, died of a head injury he suffered when he was hit by a rubber bullet, a death certificate released by the hospital said. The protest was called to oppose Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territories and what demonstrators see as America’s blind support for Israel. One group of protesters held a banner demanding that U.S. forces leave Bahrain, a tiny island state in the Persian Gulf that is home to the base of the U.S. 5th Fleet. The demonstration turned into a riot, with protesters hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails into the embassy grounds and setting a satellite dish and a sentry box on fire. Police guarding the embassy tried to disperse the rioters with tear gas and rubber bullets. Ali was hit in the head by a rubber bullet and was taken away, bleeding profusely. About 90 relatives and friends gathered at the hospital Sunday and escorted Ali’s body to a mortuary. Some mourners shouted “Allahu Akhbar!” — God is great. The crowd swelled to about 200 when health-care students joined the mourners as Ali’s body left the mortuary to be taken for ritual washing and burial later in the day. Draped in a Palestinian flag, the body was placed on the roof of a four-wheel drive vehicle, while people in the crowd chanted “Death to Israel! Death to America!”

US Embassy Says Bahrain Protesters Set Cars Ablaze

6 April 2002

 By Abbas Salman MANAMA (Reuters) – The U.S. embassy in Bahrain said on Saturday that protesters who stormed its premises on Friday had set mission vehicles on fire, compelling its security personnel to use teargas to repel the intrusion. Thousands of demonstrators attacked the embassy on Friday, some breaking into the compound and smashing windows. Hundreds of riot police fired teargas and rubber bullets to try to keep them out of the mission, witnesses said. The protest in the conservative Gulf Arab state, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, was spurred by anger against the week-old Israeli offensive in the West Bank. “Some demonstrators entered the embassy compound and set embassy vehicles on fire,” a U.S. embassy statement said. “In response to this provocation, embassy security personnel fired teargas cylinders to compel the intruders to leave the embassy ground,” it said. “Embassy personnel did not fire at demonstrators.” An embassy worker said the mission had closed its doors on Saturday but would open for business on Sunday. Bahrain Information Minister Nabeel Yacoub al-Hamer told the official Bahrain news agency the demonstration had started as a peaceful protest, but some people had “infiltrated” the crowd and attacked the embassy. “All that happened was that they (officers) used teargas to disperse a number of people who sneaked up and attacked the American embassy building. Some of those were affected by teargas and were taken to hospital and released,” Hamer said. A political activist said about 80 people had been taken to hospital for treatment to injuries from rubber bullets or teargas and at least one person had been arrested. Hamer initially denied there had been any arrests or injuries apart from those affected by teargas, but he later told Reuters that a protester underwent surgery for head wounds and was in a serious condition. He said a policeman was also in a critical condition. The demonstration was one of the biggest political gatherings for some years in the small island state. Several peaceful rallies have been held in neighboring Gulf Arab states since Israel launched a new offensive in the West Bank following a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings. Conservative Gulf Arab states have found themselves walking a tightrope as public anger mounts against their key Western ally, the United States, for what ordinary people see as its pro-Israeli bias.

WASHINGTON, Apr 6, 2002 (Xinhua via COMTEX) — The following are major news items in leading U.S. newspapers on Saturday:
 

The New York Times:
— Protesters breached the walls of the American embassy in Bahrain Friday, smashing windows and burning vehicles before retreating under a hail of tear gas and rubber bullets shot by policemen aided by American marines.

US eyes Qatar as backup for Saudi base, Post says

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. military is looking at Qatar as a backup location for its Gulf command post if it is forced to evacuate the facility in Saudi Arabia, The Washington Post reported on Saturday. Citing unidentified defense officials, the Post said the contingency plan to move the base was intended as a precaution, but did not reflect any decision to abandon the Saudi base. Late last month, U.S. officials denied a report in the Guardian newspaper in London that the Pentagon already had begun moving its Saudi-based miliatry headquarters to Qatar. The Guardian reported on March 27 that the Pentagon had begun moving the heart of its Gulf forces from remote Prince Sultan Air Base in the Saudi desert to Qatar because of Saudi opposition to a possible U.S. military attack against Iraq. But unidentified officials told Reuters at the time there were no moves afoot to transfer forces out of the kingdom. The Post report, however, said the plan calls for relocating the base only if it comes under attack or Saudi authorities attempt to deny access to it. Since last fall, the Post said U.S. authorities have installed equipment and taken other steps to make Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base an alternate command center, increasing the number of warplanes there and raising the troop level to about 2,000 in a large military tent city in the desert. Dozens of U.S. warplanes and about 4,000 military personnel are still in Saudi Arabia, it said. While the United States has a major military presence in other areas of the Gulf, including Kuwait and the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain, its air command headquarters in Saudi Arabia could be a key to any new war in Iraq. The White House said in January that President George W. Bush wanted to keep the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia despite reported grumblings from Saudis that U.S. forces had overstayed their welcome since the end of the 1991 Gulf War. Saudi and other Middle East Arab leaders stressed to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on his visit last month that they did not favor any new war with Iraq despite Washington’s charges that Iraq’s hunger for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons posed a threat to the region and the world. The Post reported that the Qataris have made it clear to Pentagon officials that they would not seek to place limits on U.S. operations.

REUTERS

In Gulf angry protests, violence underscore outrage…

6 April 2002

By ANWAR FARUQI Associated Press Writer DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In the Gulf, where public outbursts are rare, daily street demonstrations and violence in Bahrain underscore growing outrage over Israel’s crackdown on the Palestinians — and growing pressure on governments that are among Washington’s closest allies in the Arab world. Arabs have demonstrated in the tens of thousands across the region in the week since Israel began moving into Palestinian towns and put Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat under virtual house arrest. Washington’s Arab allies, calling on the United State to curb Israel, have pointed to the demonstrations as proof of the urgency of the situation. Arabs are calling on their governments to take action themselves, with suggestions ranging from cutting their diplomatic and trade ties with Israel to using oil as a weapon to force the West to act. In Kuwait, which owes its liberation from Iraqi occupation to the U.S.-led Gulf War, some 1,500 Kuwaiti, Palestinian and other demonstrators marched around a Kuwait City square last week chanting “Death to Israel, death to America,” and “There is no God but God, America is the enemy of God.” Such demonstrations are rare in the small, oil-rich state that depends on Washington for protection. Some 300 Kuwaitis attended another gathering Saturday during which lawmaker Mubarak al-Duwailah urged Arab nations to “open your borders to the young men, they will perform the miracles” by attacking the Israelis. The Gulf’s autocratic governments usually severely curtail public protests, but have been unable or unwilling to do so in recent days. Gulf governments who only years ago could control public viewing that was often limited to the state-run television networks now have to contend with Arab satellite TV channels like Qatar’s Al-Jazeera, which beams directly into Arab homes with stark images of Israeli attacks against Palestinians. Al-Jazeera also has been showing audiences in the Gulf demonstrations across the Arab world. Saudi authorities have banned demonstrations, but didn’t move hard to stop one Friday, allowing protesters to vent anger against Israel and the United States, seen as Israel’s main sponsor. In an unusual move, the organizers of the demonstration announced it in advance in a notice to Al-Jazeera, which aired footage of the demonstration Saturday — a rare sight from Saudi Arabia. Witnesses said some 5,000 people took part in a three-hour pro-Palestinian march in Dhahran, 370 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of the capital Riyadh, and that the protest was peaceful except for a few scuffles with security forces. About 50 protesters were rounded up, witnesses said. Al-Jazeera reported that most had been freed. But it said Sheik Abdul-Hamid Mubarak, head of the Saudi Popular Committee for the Support of Palestine that had organized the protest, remained jailed. Tuesday, some 3,000 people participated in a demonstration in Saudi Arabia’s northern Jof province, throwing stones at security forces and burning Israeli and U.S. flags. Police reportedly detained 300 protesters. The day after, Interior Minister Prince Nayef issued a terse statement, denouncing the demonstration and vowing “this behavior will not be allowed to be repeated.” On Friday, Nayef urged those who want to express support for Palestinians to donate money instead. In Bahrain, a key U.S. Gulf ally and home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, about 10,000 demonstrators staged a violent protest Friday and called on U.S. troops to leave. Molotov cocktails were thrown inside the U.S. Embassy compound, setting alight a satellite dish and a sentry box. No embassy personnel was injured, but protesters said 80 people were injured, two critically. In a statement, the Bahrain Interior Ministry blamed the violence on “infiltrators.” The ministry added it allows peaceful marches because it understands “the people’s feelings toward their Palestinian brethren.” Bahrain, with its fast food restaurants, bars, shopping malls and public mixing of the sexes, is the place many Westerners — and Arabs — living elsewhere in the Gulf go when they want to be reminded of Western living. Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, was closed for “clean up,” according to hot line message on the embassy telephone answering system. The message urged Americans in Bahrain to maintain a low profile and avoid large public gatherings. The embassy was to resume normal business Sunday. Thousands attended a peaceful protest Friday in the Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, chanting slogans condemning Israel and calling for international support for the Palestinians. af,buros/db-pg

Bahrain protesters smash windows at U.S embassy

5 April 2002

By Abbas Salman MANAMA, Bahrain (Reuters) – Thousands of demonstrators attacked the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain Friday, some breaking into the compound and smashing windows in the main building to protest against Israeli raids on Palestinians in the West Bank. Witnesses said hundreds of riot police clashed with the protesters, firing tear gas and rubber bullets in a vain effort to keep them out of the smoke-filled compound. Demonstrators hurled stones and petrol bombs at the main embassy building, some putting up a Palestinian flag and others yelling “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Some protesters set fire to U.S. flags. Smoke billowed from inside the embassy compound, but it was not immediately clear what was on fire. Witnesses said the source of the smoke appeared to be close to the main building. Riot police dispersed the protesters after about one hour and fired repeated volleys of tear gas to prevent them from re-grouping. A political activist said about 80 people were taken to hospital for treatment of injuries from rubber bullets or tear gas, but a hospital doctor later told Reuters none of the injuries was serious. BAHRAIN HOME TO US FIFTH FLEET The demonstration was one of the biggest political gatherings for some years in the conservative Gulf Arab state, which is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet. Some demonstrators attacked a nearby McDonald’s restaurant as a symbol of the U.S. presence in the small island state, smashing its windows. The Interior Ministry said in a statement it would take “appropriate measures” to avoid a repeat of Friday’s violence. A Bahraini political activist said at least one person was arrested. In neighboring Saudi Arabia, some 2,000 people defied a ban on demonstrations to show their support for the Palestinians outside the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Dhahran, residents said. Police surrounded a march by some 2,500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the nearby town of al-Qatif, but there were no reports of violence. The town is in a region that is home to Saudi Arabia’s minority Shiite Muslims and the scene of sporadic unrest in the past. Several peaceful rallies have been held in neighboring Gulf Arab states since Israel launched a new offensive in the West Bank following a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings.

Conservative Gulf Arab states have found themselves walking a tightrope as public anger mounts against their key ally, the United States, for what ordinary people see as its pro-Israeli bias.

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Apr 5, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — Thousands of demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassy in Bahrain on Friday, some breaking into the compound and smashing windows in the main building to protest against Israeli raids on Palestinians in the West Bank. Witnesses said hundreds of riot police clashed with the protesters, firing teargas and rubber bullets in a vain effort to keep them out of the smoke-filled compound. According to Reuters, demonstrators hurled stones and petrol bombs at the main embassy building, some putting up a Palestinian flag while others yelled “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Some protesters set fire to U.S. flags. Riot police dispersed the protesters after about one hour and fired repeated volleys of tear gas to prevent them from re-grouping. A political activist said about 80 people were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries from rubber bullets or tear gas, but a hospital doctor later told Reuters none of the injuries was serious.

The kingdom of Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Some demonstrators attacked a nearby McDonald’s restaurant as a symbol of the U.S. presence in the small island state, smashing its windows. The Interior Ministry said in a statement it would take “appropriate measures” to avoid a repeat of Friday’s violence.

Bahraini club declines in protest a dlrs 5,000 check

4 April 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A local Bahraini club said it declined a dlrs 5,000 check offered Wednesday by U.S. Ambassador Ronald Neumann in protest of the diplomat’s call for a moment in silence for Israeli victims of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Neumann’s call came at a gathering of students staging a mock U.N. forum and was out of line because only students were to participate, said Redha Faraj, president of the Rotary Club of Adliya. In a statement, Neumann defended his request, saying “mourning for innocent lives being lost on both sides is the least we owe to our common humanity.” Faraj said that at the end of the 45-minute meeting, a Bahraini student who was roleplaying a Palestinian delegate called for a minute of silence for Palestinian victims of Israeli-Palestinian violence. The 250 participating government and private school students and 150 guests, including ambassadors, parents and teachers, stood and obliged. Soon after, Neumann, a keynote speaker at the forum, urged the gathering to remain standing and do the same for Israeli victims. “He did not follow the protocol and very few people stood up,” Faraj said. “The request should have been made through a student delegate as the entire model United Nations is restricted to participating students only.” Faraj said that the dlrs 5,000 check offered by the U.S. ambassador to fund a trip for two students to U.N. headquarters in New York was rejected. “We said thank you and we did not accept the check,” Faraj said, maintaining the club was angry about how the ambassador intervened, not that his call was sympathetic to Israelis, widely viewed in the Arab world as the villain in the Mideast crisis. Faraj, whose club has been organizing the mock U.N. forum since 1995, said not even organizers are allowed to intervene in the gatherings. Neumann defended his stand in a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy, but did not mention a check being rejected. “It was quite appropriate for me as the United States Ambassador to mourn Palestinian deaths, and I was pleased to be able to stand for that,” he said. “However, it was not appropriate for me to at the same time ignore innocent deaths among Israelis.” Neumann said in his statement that “it would have been inappropriate for me to accept being forced into a one-sided demonstration of respect, simply because the conference organization had called for respect only for one side.” The Rotary Club organizes the mock U.N. event by providing the venue, computers and other facilities to students, mostly from Bahrain but some from abroad, to participate in the forum for debating political, economic, social and environmental issues. am-sjs

Bahrain Daily Slams U.S. Envoy Over Mideast ‘Insult’

04 April, 2002

MANAMA (Reuters) – A leading Bahraini newspaper demanded a public apology on Thursday from the country’s U.S. ambassador for “insulting” Bahrainis over the latest Arab-Israeli violence. Local papers said ambassador Ronald Neumann had asked a mock-U.N. forum at a local school on Wednesday to observe a minute’s silence for Israelis killed by Palestinians. A student had already asked the 150 people present to pay tribute to the Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks. “Bahrain categorically rejects your improper behavior and insults to our feelings in our homeland,” the pro-government al-Ayam daily said. “We demand the U.S. ambassador to provide a public and official apology for his behavior,” it added. The Bahrain Tribune, one of the country’s four dailies, slammed Neumann for not being “sensitive and sensible enough to respect the values of the host country.” Neumann said in a statement: “I believe that mourning for the innocent lives being lost on both sides is the least we owe to our common humanity.” The incident is likely to fuel public anger at what is widely regarded as a U.S. bias in favor of the Jewish state.

Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and Bahrainis have held several protests since Israel launched an offensive to quell a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. At least 1,154 Palestinians and 405 Israelis have been killed since the revolt erupted in September 2000.

Bahraini Students Demand Closure of US Embassy

Apr 3, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — Over 2,000 Bahraini students protesting Israel’s “war of extermination” against the Palestinians on Tuesday demanded that the United States embassy in Manama be closed. The students, who protested on Bahrain University campus, chanted slogans hostile to the United States and demanded that the Bahraini King shut down the US diplomatic mission, according to witnesses, AFP reported. In addition, they waved banners calling for the “halting of butchery committed against the Palestinians.” Anti-Israeli and anti-US demonstrations have been regularly held in Bahrain since the beginning of the intifada, or uprising, in the Palestinian territories more than 18 months ago.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, hundreds of people took to the streets of Oman’s capital Muscat to protest the “atrocities committed by Israeli occupation forces” against the Palestinians, according to Oman News Agency.

Bahrain Urges Arabs to Cut Relations With Israel

Apr 3, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — Bahrain on Tuesday called on Arab countries to first freeze and then break off relations with Israel in protest of the “aggressions” against Palestinians. Defense Minister Generam Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa urged the Arabs “to freeze and at a later stage to break off these relations in response to the terrorist acts, aggressions and crimes perpetrated by the Zionist enemy against the Palestinian people.” In a statement carried by the official BNA news agency the minister appealed to UN Security Council members “to stand strongly and clearly on the side of justice and international legitimacy and not to allow Israel to set itself above international law”, AFP reported. In addition, Sheikh Khalifa called on council members “to shoulder their responsibilities and use their influence to force Israeli to implement all UN resolutions, notably resolution 1402,” which calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from the West Bank town of Ramallah. Only Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania among Arab states have diplomatic relations with Israel.

King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain on Monday called on Washington to “intervene urgently”, and end the Israeli military offensive thereby avoiding any threat to US interests.

Bahrain to appoint ambassador to Iraq soon

MANAMA, April 3 (Reuters) – Bahrain said on Wednesday it will soon appoint an ambassador to Baghdad, more than a decade after downdrading ties with Iraq over its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. “We are in contact with them (Iraqis). A new ambassador will shortly be appointed,” Information Minister Nabeel Yacoub al-Hamer told Reuters. “The appointment will take place this month.” The move comes after signs of rapprochement between Iraq and its 1991 Gulf War foes Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during last month’s Arab summit meeting.

Bahrain has a charge d’affaires in Baghdad, while Iraq last year appointed Ali Sabti as its first ambassador to the Gulf Arab state.

US helicopter crashes in Bahrain, one minor injury

 MANAMA, April 2 (Reuters) – A U.S. Navy helicopter carrying 18 navy personnel crashed at Bahrain’s international airport slightly injuring one person, a U.S. Navy spokesman said. “An MH-53 Sea Dragon (helicopter) crashed after take off at Bahrain airport. There was one minor injury,” Commander Jeff Alderson told Reuters by telephone. The helicopter carried 12 passengers and has a six-member crew, he said without giving further details. The incident had no impact on traffic at the airport, officials said. The Gulf Arab state hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters.

Bahrain slams U.N. Security Council over Mideast

MANAMA, April 2 (Reuters) – Bahrain accused the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday of not acting to stop Israeli “massacres” and called on it to send international observers to protect the Palestinian people, the Bahrain News Agency said. “The international community, and particularly Security Council members that are adopting either a neutral or biased position in favour of Israel, should take a firm and clear stand on the side of justice and heed international law,” BNA quoted Defence Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Khalifa as saying. “Israel’s attacks, terrorist actions and horrible massacres against the unarmed Palestinian people are a blatant violation of every international law, pact and resolution and pose a flagrant threat to Middle East security and peace,” he said. The Security Council adopted a resolution on Saturday calling for Israel’s withdrawal from Palestinian towns including Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Ramallah base and saying the two sides should move immediately to a ceasefire. On Tuesday, Israel advanced into more Palestinian self-rule areas of the West Bank, expanding the drive it began on Friday in response to a suicide bombing that killed 22 Israelis. Sheikh Khalifa, whose country is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, urged Arab states that have diplomatic ties with Israel to freeze or sever them to protest against the siege. Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab League members to have forged peace treaties with the Jewish state. Sheikh Khalifa’s comments, which follow a call by Bahrain’s king for the United States to apply pressure on Israel, reflect growing anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. sentiment in the Gulf state.

REUTERS

Conference Opens in Bahrain; To Discuss Palestine, …

Apr 1, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — Some 250 political advocates and activists from across 22 Arab countries are scheduled to meet Monday in Bahrain at a congress to review the political situation in the region, especially the situation in occupied Palestine, the U.S. move to launch a military strike against Iraq, human rights issues in the Arab world, and many other issues. The four-day conference begins Monday morning at the Bahrain Conference Center, Holiday Inn. “The main focus of the meeting will be the worsening situation in the occupied Palestine triggered off by the continued Israeli aggression and the U.S. move to launch a military strike on Iraq and its devastating impact in the region, especially on the GCC countries” said Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the National Democratic Action Society known as Jamiat Al Amal Al Watani. “This is a gathering of democratic, secular and liberal political personalities,” said Al Nuaimi, a member of the congress. “We are totally against any form of military strike against Iraq or any Arab country. All that is needed to bring stability to the region is not to launch a military strike on Iraq, which has already been battered by the Gulf War and the more than a decade old UN sanctions which has brought untold misery to the Iraqi people who had no say in the decisions taken by the Iraqi leadership”. “The need of the hour is to get the brutal Israeli forces out of occupied Palestine territories and ensure that the Palestinians live a normal life in peace and harmony like all other human beings in the world in their own state, which is their unchallenged legitimate right,” Al Nuaimi stated, according to Gulf News daily. Speaking about the conference, Al Nuaimi told the daily, “This comes at a very crucial time when the Arab world is passing through (a) lot of difficulties and uncertainties caused by the Israeli aggression and the U.S. policy of siding with Israel and its military threat to Iraq with potential devastating consequences on the Arab world. This is the reason why we decided to focus the discussions on the Palestine-Israeli conflict, the intifada and the worsening situation in the occupied territories”. “The participants will also discuss the best possible means to help the Palestinian brothers and sisters who have been subjected to endless inhuman sufferings at a time when the world is moving towards a new era in the new millennium,” Al Nuaimi added. In addition, he thanked Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, for granting permission to hold the conference in Bahrain. It should be noted that this is the first time such a conference is being held in a GCC country, Gulf News reported. He said the congress would be attended by some senior political figures from all over the Arab world such as Dheyauddin Dawood, General Secretary of the Arab National Congress; Dr Khairuddin Hasseb, Chairman of the Beirut-based Center for Arab Unity Studies; and Ahmed Obaidat, former Prime Minister of Jordan. Meanwhile, in another important development demonstrating the improving ties between Iraq and the Gulf countries, a 12-member delegation from Iraq which includes Shabib Al Maliki, President of Baghdad-based Arab Federation of Lawyers, and several Palestinian political activists will be attending the congress. The other participants include Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, Mufti of Al Quds; Hannah Saliba, Cardinal of Jerusalem; Jarallah Omar, Deputy Secretary General, Yamani Socialist Party; Abu Maher Al Yamani, former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Dr. Asad Abdul Rahman, former Palestinian minister in charge of refugees and many other figures.

Bahrain registers candidates for landmark elections

1 April 2002

By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Candidates began registering Monday for next month’s municipal polls, which are scheduled to be the first democratic elections held in Bahrain in nearly 30 years. In another landmark, women will be allowed to vote and run as candidates in the May 9 polls for local councils. Five registration centers opened their doors in schools across this tiny island state Monday. Candidates, who have to be at least 30 years old, have to pay a 50 dinar (dlrs 133) registration fee and submit a 300-word manifesto outlining their plans for their constituency. “It is going to be a very transparent process and elections will be totally fair,” said the chief electoral officer, Sheik Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa. Sheik Ahmed told The Associated Press he expected women to play an active part in the polls. He referred to last year’s constitutional referendum when nearly half the voters were women. Qatar and Oman are the only other Gulf states where women can run for public office. Bahrain, which became independent from Britain in 1971, last held elections in 1973 when the national assembly was elected. The emir dissolved it two years later. A Central Municipal Council was established in 1973, but its members were appointed. Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who succeeded his late father as emir in 1999, has initiated a process of democratization in Bahrain, committing the government to installing a fully elected parliament and municipal councils. However, he will retain ultimate authority and, as part of this process, became king earlier this year. More than 237,000 residents are eligible to vote in the municipal elections. This includes citizens of the neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council states and other foreigners who own property in the kingdom, Sheik Ahmed said. A team of 1,500 election workers, including judges, teachers and technicians, will oversee the polls. Voters will have their ID cards swiped through machines to check they are voting in the right district and not voting twice. Registration ends next Monday. Elections for parliament are scheduled to be held on Oct. 24.

Bahrain is aligned with the West and hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Jordan, Bahrain kings hold talks

28 March 2002

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah met Thursday with Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who flew to Amman from Beirut where he attended an Arab League summit, the official Petra news agency said. Later, King Hamad left Jordan and flew to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheik, where he held talks with President Hosni Mubarak. In Amman, the kings of Bahrain and Jordan attended a ceremony marking the naming of a public park on the outskirts of the city after King Hamad, according to an official speaking on condition of anonymity. Amman’s Mayor Nidal Haddid also presented the city’s symbolic key to the visiting king. The two monarchs later had a working lunch and held talks on bilateral relations and the Mideast situation.

King Hamad’s visit was his first to Jordan since his Gulf island nation was proclaimed a constitutional monarchy in February.

Opposition claims websites blocked by Information Ministry 27 March, 2002 By ADNAN MALIK Associated Press Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The Bahrain Telecommunication Co., the country’s sole Internet service provider, has blocked access to at least half a dozen opposition and other Internet websites at the request of the information ministry, a leading dissident said Wednesday. Information Ministry officials could not be reached for comment, but the ministry warned in the local press on Tuesday that it will take action to protect individuals and society from Internet sites that tend to “create tension between the people and to provoke resentful sectarianism.” “Only websites that conform to objective dialogue, raise issues in a civilized and democratic manner and offer information that enrich societies and contribute to their development will be welcomed,” the English-language Bahrain Tribune newspaper quoted an unnamed information ministry official as saying. The dissident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the blockade was imposed Tuesday. He urged the information ministry to lift the blockade. Batelco confirmed the government’s move, but company officials speaking on condition of anonymity declined to name the sites affected or say why the information ministry requested the blockade. Opposition websites carry news and views — often critical — on political developments and Bahrain’s political leadership. Bahrain opposition groups say the reforms introduced recently by the king, Sheik Hamad, fall short of their demands and, despite their promise to cooperate, have criticized the reforms as giving the ruler power over lawmaking.

On Feb. 14, Sheik Hamad proclaimed himself king and Bahrain a constitutional monarchy, leading his Arab Gulf neighbors in transforming the country from the traditional emiri absolute rule toward more democratization. Municipal elections have been called for May and legislative elections for October, in which women can vote and run for office.

Mar 27, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) — Bahraini Authorities have blocked access to several opposition and other internet sites which they claim have been inciting sectarianism and carrying offensive content. Bahrain’s Information Minister, Nabeel Yacoub al-Hamer, said that three or four sites were affected. He stated that access might be permitted again if changes were made to their content. “We welcome and are open for criticism, but we don’t accept offences or inciting sectarian strife,” he made clear, according to a BBC report. Bahraini opposition sources said that at least four sites had been blocked, including that of the London-based Bahrain Freedom Movement. Meanwhile, a Shia Muslim opposition representative told Reuters that the move “stains the good image of Bahrain” and called upon the ministry to reconsider its decision and reopen the web sites. However, al-Hamer said, “Many opposition (leaders) contacted the Information Ministry and promised that they will abide by the rules.” The Kingdom is due to have its first parliamentary elections in 27 years in October.

King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, began a series of landmark political reforms last month. The King has also set May 9th as the date for local elections that will see women running for office for the first time in that country. Analysts say the reforms are aimed at healing rifts between Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim ruling family and the Shia Muslim majority.

Bahrain blocks some opposition Internet sites 26 March 2002 MANAMA, Bahrain (Reuters) – Bahrain said Tuesday it has blocked access to some opposition and other Internet sites that it said were fomenting sectarian ideas and carrying offensive content in the Gulf archipelago. “We welcome and are open for criticism, but we don’t accept offenses or inciting sectarian strife,” Information Minister Nabeel Yacoub al-Hamer told Reuters. Hamer said between three and four sites have been blocked, noting the ministry would consider allowing access to the sites after changes were made to their content. Opposition sources said at least four have been blocked, including that of the London-based Bahrain Freedom Movement (www.vob.org). “Many opposition (leaders) contacted the Information Ministry and promised that they will abide by the rules,” Hamer said. However a Shi’ite Muslim opposition figure sai d the move “stains the good image of Bahrain” and urged the ministry to reconsider its decision and reopen the sites. About 65 per cent of Bahrain’s indigenous population belong to the Shi’ite sect of Islam which is dominant in Iran. The ruling family belongs to the Sunni sect which is followed by nine out of 10 of the world’s 1 billion Muslims. The Arab state is gearing up for its first parliamentary elections in 27 years after King Hamad bin Isal al-Khalifa introduced landmark political reforms in February 2000 and reactivated the constitution.

REUTERS