al Khalifa rearranges deck chairs on “sinking ship of human rights abuse” – more deception and misdirection to appease Western pressure and growing contempt for al Khalifa

Bahrain embarks on political sea change
Published: July 21, 2011 at 11:32 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain, July 21 (UPI) — The prime minister of Bahrain is granted more power over the state’s affairs, something a spokesman said represented “a radical shift” in the kingdom.

Bahrain in early July started a dialogue process meant to examine possible improvements in the political structure. The government earlier received praise for transferring some trials from a military tribunal to civilian courts.

The Sunni-led kingdom was condemned for its violent response to a Shiite uprising early this year,

Isa Abdul Rahman, a spokesman for the dialogue committee, said the elected Parliament was granted more authority in the government.

Rahman said the prime minister now has the right to choose members of his government. That government would then be vetted by members of Parliament who have the right to reject or approve the prime minister’s decisions.

“This decision represents a radical shift in the balance of power — between our democratically elected Parliament and our executive branch — further demonstrating Bahrain’s commitment to concrete reforms,” he said in a statement.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. U.S. and regional sources suggested to The Times of London that Navy officials were reviewing their presence there.

The source said U.S. lawmakers are concerned the military presence is seen as tacit support for Bahrain’s response to the Shiite uprising. …source