Posts from — March 2012

Obama: window for solving Iran crisis without attack is shrinking
14 March, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

US President Barack Obama reiterated on Wednesday that the US was considering a military attack in Iran and said the opportunity to solve the issue diplomatically was “shrinking.”

In a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Obama said that the situation was coming to a head.

Asked if he thought that April’s six-nation negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program represented a last chance to solve the situation without Israel bombing Iranian nuclear facilities, Obama suggested that was the case.

“I have sent a message very directly to [the Iranians] publicly, that they need to seize this opportunity of negotiations with the P5 plus one to avert further consequences.”

“They should understand that because the international community has applied so many sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade Iran to take a different course, the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking,” he said.

Assad will go

President Obama also discussed the continuing conflict in Syria and said he would try his hardest to ensure the downfall of President Assad.

UN and Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan this week presented Assad with a list of demands to help bring about peace in the country.

The list is understood to have made no reference to Assad stepping down but President Obama said he was set on regime change.

“Just as the regime and security forces continue to suffer defection the opposition is growing stronger. Assad will leave power, it is not a question of if but when,” he said. …more

Condition of Bahrain hunger striker seen worsening
14 March, 2012 – By Andrew Hammond – Reuters

DUBAI: The condition of a jailed Bahraini activist who has been on hunger strike for over a month is deteriorating and prison authorities may force-feed him, a lawyer who visited him this week said on Wednesday.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is serving a life sentence for his role in a pro-democracy protest movement that erupted in February last year after uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia only to be put down by force one month later.

He was found guilty of charges including forming and organising a “terrorist group” to end the Al Khalifa monarchy and change the constitution. A founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, he is one of 14 protest leaders serving jail terms after controversial military trials.

Facing international criticism of the crackdown, Western-allied Bahrain has moved most of the military verdicts and cases to civilian courts. The verdicts in the protest leaders case still stand, though an appeal is pending in civilian courts.

The men held a brief hunger strike last month to demand their release, but Khawaja, a vocal rights activist believed to have been tortured in the first weeks of his detention, started his own hunger strike on Feb. 9.

The protest movement included opposition parties who want parliamentary reforms and groups calling for an end to the monarchy. Shi’ites complain of political and economic marginalisation, a charge the government denies.

Khawaja is drinking a litre a day of salted water and glucose but prison authorities may intervene to force-feed him if the hunger strike continues, said Mohammed al-Jishi, a lawyer who visited him this week.

“He can’t go on like this, but he refuses absolutely to go back to eating. He says ‘I take my freedom or die’,” he said, adding Khawaja had stopped drinking water for several days last week. “Since Sunday he started drinking liquids again and got back strength and could talk and move.”

Khawaja stopped drinking in protest after a visit by Bahraini rights group official who Khawaja had believed was a journalist, Jishi said. He said the group, viewed by Khawaja as pro-government, gave a false impression of his condition.

“We believe that his hunger strike is not exposing him thus far to imminent danger,” the group called Mabadi said in a statement published in the pro-government al-Ayyam daily.

…more

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (SOURCE)
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0171/2012
13.3.2012 PE486.710v01-00

B7-0171/2012
with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure on Bahrain

Barbara Lochbihler, Frieda Brepoels, Rui Tavares, Raül Romeva i Rueda, Ulrike Lunacek on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

European Parliament resolution on Bahrain
B7‑0171/2012

The European Parliament,

-Having regard to the Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), released on 23rd November 2011

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain in the context of the situation in the Arab World and North Africa on 7 July 2011, and of 27 October 2011 on Bahrain

– having regard to its resolution of 24 March 2011 on European Union relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council,

– having regard to the statements by its President of 12 April 2011 on the death of two Bahraini civil activists and of 28 April 2011 condemning the death sentences passed
against four Bahraini for participating in peaceful protests,

– having regard to the Hearing on Bahrain in the European Parliament Human Rights Subcommittee on 3 October 2011,

– having regard to the statements by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative (VP/HR) on Bahrain of 2011 and in particular of 24 November 2011 on the publication of the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, the Statement by the spokesperson of High Representative Catherine Ashton on the anniversary of the unrest in Bahrain on 13 February 2012 and the statements by the HR/VP on the situation in Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain at the European Parliament on 12 October 2011,

– having regard to the Council conclusions on Bahrain of 23 May, 12 April, 21 March 2011,

– having regard to the statement of 23 June and 30 September 2011 by the UN Secretary-General on the sentences imposed on 21 Bahraini political activists, human rights defenders and opposition leaders, and the Statement by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Bahrain on 15 February 2012

– having regard to the statement on Bahrain by 66th UN General Assembly on 29 September 2011,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Arab Charter on Human Rights to all of which Bahrain is a party,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

– having regard the Human rights Watch report issued February 2012,

– having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas 14 February 2012 marked the first anniversary of the peaceful popular movement calling for the respect of fundamental human rights and democratic reforms; whereas nationwide protests happened to commemorate the date with casualties, mainly in the Shia communities;

B. whereas the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in its report has documented 45 killings, 1,500 cases of arbitrary arrest, and 1,866 cases of torture since the start of the mass demonstrations on 14 February; whereas the report further concluded that the security forces systematically use torture and excessive force and calls for those responsible to be held accountable;

C. whereas despite numerous recommendations by the BICI, serious human rights violations continue to be committed as protests are still ongoing including the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and ill-treatment of detainees, ongoing judicial harassment, impunity, obstacles to independent monitoring; whereas due process continues to be denied to hundreds of persons arrested for taking part in the 2011 uprising and notably human rights defenders, health workers, lawyers and teachers continue to be particularly harassed

D. whereas according to Bahraini trade unions more than 1000 people dismissed from their positions during the unrest have still not been reinstated into their jobs; whereas many of those allowed to go back have been asked to sign statements, put under pressure to give up trade union activities and be appointed in different functions from the original ones;

E. whereas on 26 November 2011 following the BICI’s recommendations, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a Royal Order to form a 19 member National Committee to study the recommendations of the BICI’s report; whereas on 1 January 2012 the head of the National Committee Saleh Al Saleh resigned after attacks against his integrity and credibility; whereas the National Committee is supposed to issue its conclusions on 20 March 2012 including changes in the way the police, judiciary, education, media and other departments are run, payment of compensations to torture victims and the establishment of an independent ombudsman that will conduct investigations into allegations made against the police;

F. whereas the UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez was supposed to visit Bahrain from 8 to 17 March 2012 and has been officially asked by the Bahraini authorities to delay his trip until July 2012;

G. whereas in February military reinforcement was sent to the mainly Shia villages outside the capital of Manama to prevent people from gathering; whereas clashes between youth and riot police occur daily in Shiite neighbourhoods; whereas international human rights organisations have condemned the way the police are using teargas in Shia villages;

1. Expresses its grave concern that the violations of Human Rights in Bahrain continue unabated despite the very welcome establishment of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa which raised great hopes when it delivered its recommendations; Regrets that the implementation mechanisms set up by the the Government of Bahrain, among them, a national Commission which is mandated to review the laws and procedures adopted in the wake of the February and March 2011 events, have not yet led to concrete results.
[Read more →]

editor: The GRC maintains cooperation agreements with major partners such as Emirates Bank, Shell, Glaxo Smith Kline, the University of Queensland, the Saudi Arabian Marketing and Agencies Company (SAMACO) group, the National Defence College and the FRIDE Foundation. In the Article below it seems Dr. Christian Koch would have those who aspire to democracy, give it up for the pretense of “democratic reform” lead by post-colonial Monarchs, that line their pockets with oil, security state technology and weapons wealth, they and their “friends” lavish upon themselves. Further, Dr. Koch argues that unanimity on reforms was prevalent before “extremist voices” caused the “unanimity of reform” to fail in Bahrain.

Now a year later with much maneuvering from the Saudis, the al Khalifa’s and Obama’s Department of State, a grand charade is about to take place, the deal for reform that promises democracy that will never come is on the table again. The reality is the Bahrainis cannot have it both ways, they can settle for the promise of democracy that will never come or they can demand the democracy that is rightfully theirs. The quite diplomacy Mr. Koch is speaking of, has filled the prisons with opposition leaders, made scores of Martyrs and entombed the villages in a clouds of toxic gas as regime thugs torture, steal and murder with impunity. Phlipn.

Bahrain: time for reforms
13 March, 2012 – Bahrain Freedom Movement

Interview with Dr. Christian Koch – Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation.

Well, the protests in Bahrain have quite a long history and they go back even to the 1970es when there was a debate in the country about the setting up of the parliamentary functions and how to really divide governance and rule in the country. We’ve seen spiraling protests in the early 1990es when the Government was suspended and this continues to the modern days.

The issue of course in Bahrain is that you have a ruing family that is from the minority Sunni side and a majority Shia population. The exact figures are not available but the estimates are that 60% of the population of Bahrain is Shia and the two sides have simply not come to any kind of agreement of how to reform politics in the country and how to have greater access to decision making also by the Shia majority population.

And what is the balance between the Shias and the Sunnis in the region?

In the region of course you do have Shia minorities also located in Saudi Arabia which mostly are in the eastern province, so geographically located right across from Bahrain. And there have been protests also inside Saudi Arabia by the Shia there. And then you have also the minority Shia in Kuwait that has been quite politically active, although here in Kuwait they are represented more in the Parliament and use that avenue through the Parliament to voice their concerns in the opposition.

Do I get it right that last year when there were major protests in Bahrain Saudi Arabia had to intervene?

It’s a little bit more complicated, I would argue. I think that when the protests started in Bahrain, there was a common position even among the elements of the Sunni population inside Bahrain for a political reform. There has been a movement for that in Bahrain as a whole. And it was only at the later stage when there was no agreement on what kind of reform to propose that sort of extremist voices on both sides, both on the Sunni and the Shia, began to harden their positions and no agreement was eventually possible.

And there was a real concern even in the Saudi Arabia that the events in Bahrain would deteriorate further and we would have a very chaotic situation taking hold on the island and that this situation would then deteriorate to the point that a country like Iran, which has in the past even made territorial claims on Bahrain, that Iran would stand and try to interfere into the domestic politics. And the message from the Saudi Arabians at that time was to send some of their security forces to help guard vital installations and to simply signal a red line to the Iranians that any kind of domestic interference inside one of the Gulf countries would not be tolerated.

But as far as I remember last year the Government of Bahrain indicated that they were about to introduce some reforms?

The problem at the moment is that there is no consensus within the ruling family of Bahrain about which way to go forward. There are certainly the voices, even within the ruling family, they have been arguing for more political reforms and for more wide and open political dialog to be held with the Shia elements. But there are also elements within the ruling family that are very adamantly opposed to any types of concessions. So, they are very split within the Khalifa itself which has really prevented any form of dialog to take place with the Shia elements and the Shia opposition and to try to resolve the current situation in Bahrain.

It’s interesting that these developments which are illustrating the crisis of, shall we say, the monarchial model in the Middle East and the Gulf region coincides with the conference that was held in Tunisia this weekend which insisted on getting back to governmental type of a khalifate. Is the system in Bahrain, does it resemble the khalifate in any way?

No, I don’t think it resembles the khalifate in any way. Yes, you do have the monarchial system to prevail in the Persian Gulf but overall, I mean you shouldn’t argue that the system in place has done quite well. They have provided a tremendous economic development for the population over the past 40 years, they have survived multiple crises in regional relations including wars, for example the invasion of Iraq and the Iran – Iraq war, the invasion of Kuwait back in 1990. And throughout the time the Gulf States do have prospered quite well and a lot of credit has to go to the ruling families for this.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the model in necessarily going to be hold up over a long period of time and I think even the monarchies in the region now are challenged to come up with more widespread reforms that will maintain the legitimacy in the future. If they don’t, then they will be surprised by increased domestic political opposition as you have quite a young generation coming up that is no longer just interested in being wealthy but would like to have demands in terms of freedom, of accountability, of transparency, of against corruption and other issues like that.

So, we are in for a period of continued and heightened actually political discussions in all the Gulf States and Bahrain is simply the most obvious example that we are facing at the moment, and it is more delicate because of the sectarian element involved.

But then what could the international community do, it is so often that the international community intervenes with the most inefficient consequences?

I think there needs to be more consolidated efforts of also working with the GCC states, with the other GCC countries as well as with some of the international community. Behind the scenes they tried to promote a dialog in Bahrain, at the moment you don’t have the dialog going on and so basically you do have these daily protests that are really having a negative impact on the social and the human rights situation in the country and in the long term this will benefit no one.

So, there needs to be some more quiet diplomacy behind the scenes to try to encourage more of the reform-minded elements within the Bahraini ruling family and some of the more open-minded people within the opposition to try to come up with some sort of initial solution that then can be carried forward. I think that if they are just left by themselves we will just continue to see this civil conflict protract and even get worse. …more

Bahraini protesters hold anti-regime demonstration in Diraz
13 March, 2012 – Shia Post

Bahraini protesters have held a demonstration against the ruling Al Khalifa regime in the northwestern village of Diraz, Press TV reports.

Protesters chanted slogans against the Al Khalifa regime during the demonstration in Diraz on Tuesday.

In addition to the Tuesday demonstration in Diraz, Bahraini people in several other towns and villages also protested against the Saudi support for the Manama regime.

In mid-March 2011, Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, deployed troops in Bahrain to help the Manama regime crush anti-government demonstrations.

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces continue the violent crackdown on anti-regime protests.

On March 10, regime forces killed a 21-year-old protester who was trying to get to the iconic Pearl Square in Manama with a group of other demonstrators.

Bahrainis hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of protesters during the popular uprising in the country that began in February 2011. …more

Russia seeks monitors, China presses political solution in Syria
13 March, 2012 – AL-Akhbar

China and Russia were both active on Tuesday in pressing for a political resolution to the Syrian crisis, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling for international monitors to observe a ceasefire in the country.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was discussing the proposal both with the Arab League and at the United Nations, where the Security Council debated the crisis on Monday.

“The objective is for both sides to understand that there is an independent observer watching how they meet demands – and we are definitely going to be making such demands – for an immediate ceasefire,” he said.

“This must be simultaneous. We must not have a situation in which the government is required to leave the cities and villages while the armed groups are not made to do the same.

“This is unrealistic, not because we want the bloodshed to continue, but because the unilateral withdrawal of government forces is completely unrealistic,” Lavrov told reporters.

“The Syrian authorities will not go for that, whether we like it or not.”

Lavrov argued that President Bashar Assad’s forces will continue to wage their campaign until Western and Arab governments with sway over the opposition can force the rebel forces to also lay down their arms.

Russia and China have vetoed two Western-backed UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, and Moscow has expressed reservations about a new US-backed version of the text now under discussion.

China was also on a diplomatic offensive to bridge international divisions over the Syrian crisis, with Chinese envoy Zhang Ming saying on Tuesday that Beijing and Arab countries agree on the need to find a “political solution.”

“We all recognize that there is great agreement between China and the Arab League for a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” Ming said after talks at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League.

He told reporters he was on a mission to discuss a six-point Chinese initiative and talk with Arab officials about ways of reaching “international agreement and finding a peace solution.”

The initiative calls for dialogue between Assad’s regime and the opposition and rejects foreign interference or “external action for regime change” in Syria.

Last week, China said it would be dispatching envoys to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France to explain its position on Syria.

Beijing and Moscow are critical of what they see as Western and Gulf Arab attempts to sow discord in Syria and plunge the country into civil war.

On Monday, China’s UN ambassador Li Baodon insisted there could be no military intervention in Syria and denied that “self-interests” had motivated its veto of the UN Security Council resolutions. …more

editor: the neocolonial wealth held in the gulf has been systematically robbed from it inhabitants for centuries. Its curious how the wealthy seem to forget the origin of their wealth but embrace brutality when it seems necessary to retain it. Phlipn.

“Progress vs democracy” in the Gulf
13 March, 2012 – POMED

In a comment, Mishaal Al Gergawi proposed comparing democracy and development focusing on Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Al Gergawi said that Kuwait is perceived as an “aspirational beacon of political participation in the Gulf,” and the U.A.E. as a “successful post-oil development attempt.” Considering any comparison between democracy and development, the author reports that “Khaliji (states from the Gulf) capitalists will note that democracy has an adverse effect on development,” and Kuwait would be cited as “a state gone wrong via democracy.” However, Al Gergawi noticed that Dubai and Kuwait achieved soft power strength; following a different path, Kuwait “gave Khalijis contemporary cultural depth and a disposition towards self-criticism” while “Dubai raised the bar of the Khalijis’ own expectations of their cities.”

Al Gergawi called the Kuwaiti ruling system an “hybrid democracy,” and said “it’s in principle a parliamentary system, elections are limited to 50 of 65 seats; the Emir of Kuwait appoints the remaining 15. Those form 15 of the 16-member cabinet, the 16th is ceremonially chosen from the parliament’s 50 elected members.” This system has driven to ensure “a continuous state of crises,” as the parliament is often in conflict with the cabinet.

The author also noticed that “the abundance of oil in Kuwait and its near lack in Dubai required the latter to pursue a policy of revenue diversification while the former became a welfarist rentier state.” The different economic situation impacts the development of both cities. Dubai met an economic growth “driven by internal realities such as limited natural resources and a heritage of trade that precedes its discovery of oil.” On the other hand Kuwait’s deceleration was driven by a crisis-prone hybrid political system that was meant to balance the interests of the ruling family and people but has really antagonized both,” moreover Al Gergawi believed that the ruling family bought the Kuwaities’ apathy by expanding the state reaching an inefficient size.

The author concluded that “democracy shouldn’t be given more credit than its due or held accountable for what it does not have a direct effect on,” and added “development is the product of thorough planning and dynamic execution. If anything, it is more susceptible to oil wealth and welfarism than anything else … even if that was a well-functioning democracy.” …more

The GRC maintains cooperation agreements with major partners such as Emirates Bank, Shell, Glaxo Smith Kline, the University of Queensland, the Saudi Arabian Marketing and Agencies Company (SAMACO) group, the National Defence College and the FRIDE Foundation.

Bahrain: time for reforms
13 March, 2012 – Bahrain Freedom Movement

Interview with Dr. Christian Koch – Director of the Gulf Research Center Foundation.

Well, the protests in Bahrain have quite a long history and they go back even to the 1970es when there was a debate in the country about the setting up of the parliamentary functions and how to really divide governance and rule in the country. We’ve seen spiraling protests in the early 1990es when the Government was suspended and this continues to the modern days.

The issue of course in Bahrain is that you have a ruing family that is from the minority Sunni side and a majority Shia population. The exact figures are not available but the estimates are that 60% of the population of Bahrain is Shia and the two sides have simply not come to any kind of agreement of how to reform politics in the country and how to have greater access to decision making also by the Shia majority population.

And what is the balance between the Shias and the Sunnis in the region?

In the region of course you do have Shia minorities also located in Saudi Arabia which mostly are in the eastern province, so geographically located right across from Bahrain. And there have been protests also inside Saudi Arabia by the Shia there. And then you have also the minority Shia in Kuwait that has been quite politically active, although here in Kuwait they are represented more in the Parliament and use that avenue through the Parliament to voice their concerns in the opposition.

Do I get it right that last year when there were major protests in Bahrain Saudi Arabia had to intervene?

It’s a little bit more complicated, I would argue. I think that when the protests started in Bahrain, there was a common position even among the elements of the Sunni population inside Bahrain for a political reform. There has been a movement for that in Bahrain as a whole. And it was only at the later stage when there was no agreement on what kind of reform to propose that sort of extremist voices on both sides, both on the Sunni and the Shia, began to harden their positions and no agreement was eventually possible.

And there was a real concern even in the Saudi Arabia that the events in Bahrain would deteriorate further and we would have a very chaotic situation taking hold on the island and that this situation would then deteriorate to the point that a country like Iran, which has in the past even made territorial claims on Bahrain, that Iran would stand and try to interfere into the domestic politics. And the message from the Saudi Arabians at that time was to send some of their security forces to help guard vital installations and to simply signal a red line to the Iranians that any kind of domestic interference inside one of the Gulf countries would not be tolerated.

But as far as I remember last year the Government of Bahrain indicated that they were about to introduce some reforms?

The problem at the moment is that there is no consensus within the ruling family of Bahrain about which way to go forward. There are certainly the voices, even within the ruling family, they have been arguing for more political reforms and for more wide and open political dialog to be held with the Shia elements. But there are also elements within the ruling family that are very adamantly opposed to any types of concessions. So, they are very split within the Khalifa itself which has really prevented any form of dialog to take place with the Shia elements and the Shia opposition and to try to resolve the current situation in Bahrain.

It’s interesting that these developments which are illustrating the crisis of, shall we say, the monarchial model in the Middle East and the Gulf region coincides with the conference that was held in Tunisia this weekend which insisted on getting back to governmental type of a khalifate. Is the system in Bahrain, does it resemble the khalifate in any way?

No, I don’t think it resembles the khalifate in any way. Yes, you do have the monarchial system to prevail in the Persian Gulf but overall, I mean you shouldn’t argue that the system in place has done quite well. They have provided a tremendous economic development for the population over the past 40 years, they have survived multiple crises in regional relations including wars, for example the invasion of Iraq and the Iran – Iraq war, the invasion of Kuwait back in 1990. And throughout the time the Gulf States do have prospered quite well and a lot of credit has to go to the ruling families for this.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the model in necessarily going to be hold up over a long period of time and I think even the monarchies in the region now are challenged to come up with more widespread reforms that will maintain the legitimacy in the future. If they don’t, then they will be surprised by increased domestic political opposition as you have quite a young generation coming up that is no longer just interested in being wealthy but would like to have demands in terms of freedom, of accountability, of transparency, of against corruption and other issues like that.

So, we are in for a period of continued and heightened actually political discussions in all the Gulf States and Bahrain is simply the most obvious example that we are facing at the moment, and it is more delicate because of the sectarian element involved.

But then what could the international community do, it is so often that the international community intervenes with the most inefficient consequences?

I think there needs to be more consolidated efforts of also working with the GCC states, with the other GCC countries as well as with some of the international community. Behind the scenes they tried to promote a dialog in Bahrain, at the moment you don’t have the dialog going on and so basically you do have these daily protests that are really having a negative impact on the social and the human rights situation in the country and in the long term this will benefit no one.

So, there needs to be some more quiet diplomacy behind the scenes to try to encourage more of the reform-minded elements within the Bahraini ruling family and some of the more open-minded people within the opposition to try to come up with some sort of initial solution that then can be carried forward. I think that if they are just left by themselves we will just continue to see this civil conflict protract and even get worse. …more

editor: the argument here seems strongly in favor of reform. Not because it is in the interests of Bahrainis but because it is in the interests of the regime and the US interests that lie within. Phlipn

Former Ambassador to Bahrain: Effective Diplomacy Melds Both Interest and Principle
13 March, 2012 – POMED

Former Ambassador to Bahrain Ronald E. Neumann wrote in the Congress Blog that effective American diplomacy toward Bahrain necessitates blending both interest and principle. According to Neumann, doing so requires “acknowledging that our base is critical, understanding the island’s communal divisions, and recognizing how support for the monarchy coincides with reform.”

Neumann, who served as ambassador to Bahrain from 2001 to 2004, writes that Bahrain’s uprising is more complex than “just another Arab rising against a regime,” because of the formation of “two radically different narrative of events. “ “The Shia opposition sees government refusal and brutal suppression of calls for reform,” writes Neumann, and the government believes that “concessions….led to demands that the government yield on most major points before beginning negotiations.”

He opined that the BICI report documented Cherif Bassiouni acknowledged multitudes of abuses and human rights violations. Radicalization of both sects have “hampered efforts of compromise,” as Sunni’s begin to regard the Shia as proxies of Iran and the Shia refusing negotiations due to suspicions of the government. He notes that Shia and Sunni used to intermarry and socialize more freely in Bahrain than any other Gulf state. While not forgetting the regional dimension, Neumann, noted that Arab pressure for reform and transition will not be seen in Bahrain.

Neumann affirmed that the U.S. has multiple interests in Bahrain, including the free flow of oil, policing the Arabian Sea, and base for confrontation, if necessary, with Iran. However, he stated that reform is a major U.S. interest. As a “mater of principle and practicality”, the U.S. has an interest in reform. “Presently, we alienate everyone,” says Neumann. “Effective U.S. policy needs to push for reform,” says Neumann making calls for “equitable representation, real judicial controls of security forces and true accountability for wrongdoing. “In addition, Neumann called for a strong constitution monarch accountable under the law to “balance community divisions.” “We need to speak openly of reform and support for a strong monarchy; something short of simple democracy,” wrote Neumann.

Without affirming our limits to what we seek opposition will “continue to hope for greater U.S. pressure on its half,” and such a policy will be criticized for hypocrisy. Neumann concluded writing that “effective diplomacy has to meld both interests and principles and explain itself clearly. Without such clarity we will remain ineffective and still be condemned for hypocrisy.” …more

Saudi protests spread to different cities
13 March, 2012 – AL-Abhbar

Protests have spread to a number of cities in Saudi Arabia following the suppression of a demonstration held by female students at a university last Wednesday, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said on Tuesday.

The Cairo-based NGO released a statement saying the anger of students has spread and “gone beyond [the city of] Abha to larger parts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” where “several protests have taken place in the cities of Riyadh, al-Namas, Ar’ar, Qatif, and al-Rabeeah.”

Tensions have been high since security forces cracked down on a group of female students demanding reform at the King Khaled University last week.

Videos have emerged online of the protests, none of which can be independently verified .

Saudi authorities responded to the protests with violence, killing one female student and injuring 54 others.

“Subsequently, popular anger escalated over this action…and the protests movement spread at the university level in the Kingdom,” ANHRI’s statement read.

In Taibah University in the city of Medina, one student was expelled for publicly criticizing the deteriorating conditions on campus during an open meeting with the director.

“This emphasizes the cruelty of the majority of Saudi universities [towards their] students,” the statement said.

In the eastern province of Qatif, one civilian was killed and several injured after security forces clashed with protesters demanding political reform.

The Ministry of Interior released a statement in which it vowed to address “acts of terrorism” and described the protesters as “a deluded minority.”

ANHRI accused the Ministry of Interior of trying to portray the protests as sectarian as many of the kingdom’s Shias live in the oil-rich province.

“Only dialogue will work out with this social anger, not the repression and violence that characterize the attitude of the Saudi government with its citizens. The Saudi government has to learn the lesson that several Arab countries have taught to their rulers,” the ANHRI statement said.

“The demands of justice and dignity in Saudi Arabia have to be met with change in policies, basing them on the values of freedom and human rights.”

Public display of dissent is rare in Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom has clamped down on any signs of unrest, fearing the Arab revolutions sweeping the region might endanger its autocratic rulers.

Saudi forces entered Bahrain last March to crush a pro-democracy uprising there, but has itself largely avoided the Arab Spring, save for sporadic protests in Qatif.

…more

UN Awaits Syria’s Response as Assad Sets Election Date
13 March, 2012 – POMED

Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, after presenting a six-point peace plan to Assad, left Damascus for Ankara on Tuesday to meet with a delegation of the Syrian national council (SNC). Annan reported that a response to the six-point proposal is expected from Syrian authorities within the next day. “One I receive their answer we will know how to react,” he said. Annan was seeking an immediate ceasefire in order to open the doors for humanitarian aid access and the commencement of dialogue between all parties. As part of a bundle of futile reforms unveiled to qualm the year-long uprising in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad announced that parliamentary elections will be held on May 7.

As international bodies strive for a political solution, Syrian troops shelled areas surrounding the Idlib province, which reportedly the regime targeting accounts is expected to be the next Homs. An activist in the nearby border town of Khan Shaykhoun in Turkey reported constant artillery fire since the morning. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the assault “cynical” noting that while Annan was negotiating peace, the army had increased it aggression. Reports of a massacre in Homs spread protests in at least five Syria towns stretching from Aleppo to Dara’a. Death estimates ranged between 47 and 53.

Russia released a statement agreeing to press Syria to accept “international monitors who could observe the implementation of a ‘simultaneous’ ceasefire” between government troops and opposition fighters. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that the ceasefire is to be simultaneous. “Ultimatums will not work,” said Lavrov. Clinton rejected any attempt to equivocate the violence perpetrated by the Assad regime and the civilians “driven to civil defense.”

In response to callls for military airstrikes by Rep. John McCain (R-AZ), Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) issued a statement in opposition to military intervention, saying that “John McCain does not speak for Congress.” President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron, writing in the Washington Post, declared their condemnation of violence used against Syrian civilians and affirmed their support of the U.N. Envoy and the opposition in order to “plan for the transition that will follow Assad’s departure from power.”

As the international community mulls over how best to stop the wide-spread and gratuitous violence in Syria, U.S. officials have expressed concern about President Assad store of chemical weapons. …source

China, Arabs agree on ‘political’ settlement in Syria
13 March, 2012 – Agence France Presse – The Daily Star

CAIRO: China and Arab countries agree on the need to find a “political solution” to the crisis in Syria, Chinese envoy Zhang Ming said on Tuesday after talks in Cairo with Arab League officials.

“We all recognize that there is great agreement between China and the Arab League for a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” the envoy said after talks at the Cairo headquarters of the 22-member bloc.

He told reporters he was on a mission to discuss a six-point Chinese initiative and talk with Arab officials ways of reaching “international agreement and finding a peace solution” to the Syria violence.

Under pressure from Western powers for twice blocking with Russia resolutions against Syria at the UN Security Council, China unveiled this month a six-point plan, calling for an immediate end to the conflict.

The initiative also calls for dialogue between President Bashar Assad’s regime and the opposition and rejects foreign interference or “external action for regime change” in Syria.

Last week, China said it would be dispatching envoys to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France to explain its position on Syria.

The West and the Arab world have been piling pressure on Assad’s regime to prevent a year-old uprising from spiraling into all-out civil war.

Beijing and Moscow have drawn heavy criticism for using their veto powers as permanent members of the Security Council to block resolutions condemning the crackdown, because they singled out Assad for blame.

On Monday, China’s UN ambassador Li Baodon insisted there could be no military intervention in Syria and denied that “self-interests” had motivated its veto of the UN Security Council resolutions.

Li also announced $2 million (1.5 million euros) in humanitarian aid for Syria.

….more

Clinton vows civil society push on rights
13 March, 2012 – Agence France Presse

WASHINGTON: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday vowed to press ahead with support for democracy promotion groups, saying that they play a critical role despite a crackdown in Egypt.

Clinton, addressing U.S. ambassadors from around the world who are back in Washington for a group conference, said that civil society groups are vital to encouraging U.S. goals such as advancing democracy and women’s participation.

“When people feel safe and empowered to pursue their legitimate aspirations, they are more likely to reject extremism and to invest in their own societies,” Clinton said.

Clinton noted that a number of governments, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, are curbing such groups and “challenging the propriety of American support for civil society organizations.”

“I need each of you — and especially those of you operating in restrictive environments — to communicate our commitment to working with and supporting individuals and groups that represent not only what we believe are our values, but universal values: freedoms and human rights,” she told the diplomats.

Egypt’s relations with Washington recently fell into crisis as the longtime U.S. ally’s military-backed authorities charged staff of the National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute and Freedom House.

The groups, which are funded largely by the U.S. government, promote the development of democratic institutions around the world and say that they do not back any particular candidates.

After pressure from Washington, Egypt allowed 13 foreigners from the groups including six Americans to leave the country on March 1 as they prepared for trial.
…more

Islamic group gets Syria’s approval to send aid
13 March, 2012 – Reuters – The Daily Star

JEDDAH: The world’s largest Islamic body said on Tuesday it had received permission by Damascus to send humanitarian aid to Syria, and will send a team there soon to assess the population’s needs.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), whose 57 members include conflict-stricken Syria, said preparations are under way for the assessment mission.

Last week, President Bashar Assad’s government requested more time to assess a demand by U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos for “unhindered access” for aid, Amos said after a visit to Syria.

“Preparations are underway for an assessment mission to depart to Syria and to the site of refugees on the borders of Turkey and Jordan,” OIC spokesman Tariq Bakhiet said.

“Based on the assessment the amount and type of humanitarian aid will be determined and we will start sending it immediately,” he said.

The OIC aims to safeguard the interests of the Muslim world and has collected aid in the past to help its member states. Last year, the group’s Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said member states had pledged $350 million in aid to fight famine in Somalia.

The United Nations estimates more than 8,000 civilians have been killed in Assad’s crackdown on the uprising, which began almost a year ago.

Last week the United Nations said it was readying food stocks for 1.5 million people in Syria as part of a 90-day emergency plan to help civilians deprived of basic supplies.
…more

Syrian veto: China, Russia and the Arab Spring
7 March, 2012 – Middle East Futures Network

It all began on March 15 2011 when protestors, inflamed by the arrest of a group of teenagers and inspired by the Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan people, took their desire for freedom and justice to the streets of Daraa in southwest Syria, and started the deadliest episode of the Arab Spring. Despite President Assad’s confident assurance to the world that Sham was immune from anti-Government protests, what began in Daraa kick-started Syria’s descent into a civil war; a war that seems unstoppable as it approaches its first anniversary and marks the end of a chaotic year in Syrian history.

Given the geostrategic importance of Syria and Assad’s popularity and carefully constructed image as a reformer, there was early optimism inside and outside Syria over his willingness and capability to calm the situation through the initiation of meaningful reforms. As a matter of fact, there were commentators who believed that the Arab Spring had provided the reform-minded, Western-educated Bashar with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity finally to unleash a series of socio-political reforms, thereby weakening the more conservative members of his inner circle and encourage their early retirements.

Two months into the uprising, there emerged a sudden change in the stance of regional and extra-regional actors towards Syria led by Turkey. It was in this context of rising tensions that Syria lost its Arab League membership; GCC states, Britain, France, and the US closed their embassies; more economic sanctions were imposed by the EU, the US, and the Arab League, which also sent a monitoring mission to Syria that had two broad outcomes: embarrassment for the League, and the departure of Syrian ambassadors from the GCC. In response, Syria’s allies – namely, Iran, Hezbollah, Russia, and China – increased their public backing of the Syrian regime, helping to create a mini Cold War situation in the Levant; a situation that acquired a whole new dimension when China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Syria for the second time, claiming that it was unbalanced and unreasonable.

Hillary Clinton described China and Russia’s veto as a ‘travesty’; the Turkish Prime Minster called it a ‘fiasco’, and various Arab regimes accused Beijing and Moscow of licensing more killing in Syria. Russia and China, however, dismissed all these accusations and justified their veto as an attempt to seek ‘peaceful settlement of the chronic Syrian crisis’. Hence, digging beneath the surface and behind the veil of what has become a ‘war of rhetoric’, it is useful to ask why Beijing and Moscow, which have typically tried to align their policies with regional states/blocks, have disregarded and antagonised the Arab League by lending their backing to Mr. Assad, and how disruptive their support and indeed cooperation is to the international community’s efforts to end the violence in Syria.

For both Russia and China, and indeed the other members of the BRICs, NATO’s intervention in Libya was a wakeup call. As is evident in their remarks during the last meeting of BRICs leaders in 2011, the UN-sanctioned intervention in Libya was less of a humanitarian operation and more of a well thought out, Western-engineered strategy of regime change in order to perpetuate Western dominance over the entire MENA. As such, Chinese and Russian rationale today is that they no longer want the UN to be involved in further cases of ‘regime change’. Put differently, they fear that the Libyan campaign has set up a precedent for intervention based on human rights, and this, needless to say, has raised red flags in Beijing and Moscow at a time of leadership change/elections and rising domestic discontent and public protests in both countries. …more

Saudi: Women Lead Protest; Activists Plan Hunger Strike
12 March, 2012 – POMED

Female students at King Khaled University in Saudi Arabia broke out in protest because the university decided to stop all cleaning services, and to rally against perceived corruption, and failed leadership, of the university president, Abdullah Al-Rashid,. In response, the university called in the Haia religious police to quell protests that had grown to around 1,000 women. Some of the girls threw shoes at the Haia – to which they responded with batons – resulting in the death of one girl from an epileptic fit; another is reported to have suffered a miscarriage as a result of the violence. Another 50 girls received injuries during the scuffle. Two days later, about 500 male students rallied in the university courtyard demanding the resignation of Al-Rashid. “No one paid attention to the women’s complaints, but when the guys protested the administration and the authorities reacted immediately,” said one of the male students. Days later, when a large group of female students decided to boycott class there were a notably high number of absences.

In other news, dozens of Saudis signed up to join a two-day hunger strike this week to protest against the detention of a prominent rights activist Mohamad al-Bajadi. Al-Bajadi was detained in March 2011, activists said, for supporting families demonstrating, and calling for the release of detained relatives, outside the Interior Ministry in Riyadh. Al-Bajadi’s trial, which includes the charge of tarnishing the reputation of the state, has been suspended for his refusal to recognize the court.

Elham Fakhro argues in his piece “The Kingdom Divided,” that Saudi Arabia faces somewhere between 10-20 percent unemployment, with an estimated 670,000 families living in poverty. He says, “While sustained opposition movements continue to battle for their own Saudi Spring, their success hinges on their ability to unite around a common and national set of political demands—and lay to rest the demons of tribalism and sectarianism.” Fakhro writes, however, that part of the reason the regime has successfully quelled protest attempts is its strong religious connection. Madawi Al-Rasheed agrees that the Saudi regime first turned to Wahhabi religious officials, who “warned from the minarets that the wrath of God would be inflicted on demonstrators… [and] reminded the believers of the need for ijma, consensus around the pious rulers of the country, and warned that protests would lead to fragmentation and bloody civil war.” However, Christoph Wilcke argues in Foreign Policy that the Saudi “Spring” has left its mark. “The government has to publicly defend its actions,” he says, “and increasingly, members of the public are doubting its reasoning that portrays peaceful, often nationalistic and religious-based reform activism as dangerous subversion.” …more

No Justice in Bahrain
8 March, 2012 – Bahrain Freedom Movement

Beirut – Bahrain has routinely convicted hundreds of opposition activists and others of politically motivated charges in unfair trials, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report. The government should void the convictions in trials before Bahrain’s military and civilian courts that fell far short of international fair trial standards, Human Rights Watch said.

Ressenza Human Wrongs Watch, 3/6/12 The 94-page report “No Justice in Bahrain: Unfair Trials in Military and Civilian Courts” documents serious due process violations in high-profile trials before Bahrain’s special military courts in 2011 – including one trial of 21 prominent political activists and another of 20 doctors and other medical personnel – and in politically motivated trials before ordinary criminal courts since 2010.

“Egregious Violations of Fair Trial Rights in Political Cases”

Serious abuses included denying defendants the right to counsel and to present a defense, and failure to investigate credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment during interrogation, it says.

“Grossly unfair military and civilian trials have been a core element in Bahrain’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should remedy the hundreds of unfair convictions of the past year by dropping the cases against everyone convicted on politically motivated charges and by adopting effective measures to end torture in detention.”

The egregious violations of fair trial rights in political cases do not just reflect the poor practices of individual prosecutors and judges, but serious, systemic problems with Bahrain’s criminal justice system, Human Rights Watch said.

Torture
In a February 13, 2012 interview, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa told Der Spiegel magazine that: “There are no political prisoners as such in Bahrain. People are not arrested because they express their views, we only have criminals.”

The Human Rights Watch report is based on more than 50 interviews with defendants, defense lawyers, and trial observers, and a comprehensive examination of available trial verdicts and other court documents. Human Rights Watch wrote to Bahrain’s attorney general in November 2010 and to the justice minister in December 2011 concerning the trials, but received no response.

At least five people died as a result of torture while in custody following the government crackdown on mostly peaceful protests that began in mid-March 2011, according to the November report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, a body of five international jurists and human rights experts set up by King Hamad. Human Rights Watch has documented the persistent practice of torture and ill-treatment by Bahraini security officers over the past several years.

Those whose convictions should be voided and who should be released from prison include protest leaders such as Ibrahim Sharif, Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja, Hassan Mushaima, and Abdul Wahab Hussein, Human Rights Watch said.

In one case a nurse was convicted of “incit[ing] … hatred and contempt for the governing regime” and of “destroy[ing] moveable property … in furtherance of a terrorist purpose” because she allegedly stepped on a photo of the prime minister. …more

In protest to distorted Press Release on His Health Condition: Human rights Defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja Refuses Medical Check
11 March, 2012 – Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) has recently learnt that on the 6th of March, two individuals who only identified themselves as Dr. Fatima and Mohammed met with Human Rights Defender Mr.Abdulhadi Alkhawaja in prison. The doctor told him she will be administrating a checkup and consequently Mr.Alkhawaja allowed this. The results were, low blood pressure, low blood sugar and low temperature. When they started asking him questions unrelated to his health, Mr.Alkhawaja asked them to identify themselves properly or he would refuse to answer their questions. They refused and walked out.

Mr.Alkhawaja was surprised to see a press release days later based on the testimony of a Mr. Mohammed Alahmad – Pro-government journalist- from the GONGO organization, stating that his health was fine and the that he was being treated well. The press release was released by the Ministry of Human Rights.

In protest to the manner by which the prison and the Ministry behaved, Mr.Abdulhadi Alkhawaja decided to end cooperation with the hospital clinic by refusing medical check-ups. He insisted that they either be honest in relating information regarding his health or he would refuse to do the routine checkups. Mr.Alkhawaja also started refusing water and glucose which resulted in the deterioration of his health and he was unable to concentrate. After three days, Mr.Alkhawaja started drinking water and taking glucose once again.

On a different note and in contrast to what the Ministry of Human Rights alleges, the Danish foreign Minister stated to a Danish Newspaper that he was worried about Mr.Alkhawaja’s health after a representative of the Danish embassy met with the activist last week.

The BYSHR demands that:

1. The international community exerts more pressure in order to secure the immediate and unconditional release of human rights defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja before there is any further deterioration in his health
2. That the Ministry of Human Rights allow credible, international human rights organizations who have repeatedly requested to see the activist access to him in order to be able to adequately evaluate his health situation
3. That the Ministry of Human Rights refrain from using GONGO’s in order to discredit claims made by credible human rights activist
4. That the Ministry of Human Rights release accurate and precise information regarding human rights defender Mr.Abdulhadi Alkhawaja’s health situation
…source

…more

Pentagon Prepares War Plans for Syria
By Bill Van Auken – 9 March 2012 – WSWS

In testimony before a Senate committee Wednesday, the Pentagon’s civilian and uniformed chiefs confirmed that they are drawing up war plans against Syria at the request of the Obama White House.

The statements by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey came amid mounting evidence that Washington and its key European allies, working in conjunction with the right-wing monarchical regimes in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are escalating a covert intervention aimed at bringing about Syrian regime change.

Much of the media coverage of Wednesday’s hearing focused on the jingoistic intervention of Arizona’s Senator John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate. He is demanding US air strikes against Syria, to carve out “safe havens” in which Western-backed armed groups can prepare military strikes against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“How many additional civilian lives would have to be lost in order to convince you that the military measures of the kind we are proposing [are] necessary to end the killing and force Assad to leave power?” McCain demanded of Panetta.

The defense secretary responded by asserting, “We are not divided here.” He insisted that the Pentagon is “reviewing all possible additional steps that can be taken” to hasten the downfall of the Assad regime, “including potential military options if necessary.”

General Dempsey cautioned that a US intervention in Syria would be more difficult than the NATO war in Libya given the country’s “far different demographic, ethnic, religious mix.” However, he assured the Senate panel, “Should we be called upon to defend US interests, we will be ready.” The Joint Chiefs chairman added that military operations under consideration included the imposition of a “no-fly zone,” the opening up of a “humanitarian corridor,” a naval blockade of the Syrian coastline and air strikes.

Panetta and Dempsey both echoed statements made the day before at a White House press briefing by President Obama, that it would be a “mistake” to “to take military action unilaterally.”

None of them, however, raised a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing use of military force as a pre-condition for US military intervention in Syria. …more

Syrian opposition: International military intervention ‘urgent’ following Homs killings
By Liz Sly – 12 March, Washington Post

BEIRUT — The brutal killings of dozens of women and children in the central Syrian city of Homs prompted the council representing Syria’s opposition to call on Monday for “urgent” international military intervention to protect civilians as diplomatic efforts to resolve the country’s escalating conflict faltered.

The Syrian National Council, the deeply divided umbrella group whose efforts to unite the Syrian opposition have failed in part because of divisions over the issue of military intervention, issued the call after videos showing the mutilated corpses of at least 45 victims were posted overnight on the Internet.

Activists said the videos offered evidence of what they called a massacre of civilians who supported the opposition by pro-government militias. The Syrian government countered with allegations that “terrorist armed groups” had killed the victims and then filmed their bodies to influence discussions at the United Nations Security Council on Monday, and to shore up Syrian opposition calls for “foreign interference in Syria.”