Bahrain Shiite Opposition Pulls Out of National Dialogue
Bahrain's main Shiite opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq, said on Sunday it was pulling out of a "national dialogue" with the government on political reform because the initiative was not serious.
Khalil al-Marzouk, who led the bloc's delegation to the talks, told Agence France Presse that Al-Wefaq had decided to pull out and the decision would be confirmed on Monday by its Shoura (consultative) council, or leadership.
"We have tried but without success to make it a serious dialogue," the Wefaq official said, adding that the bloc would not take part in a session of the dialogue later on Sunday.
Since the July 2 launch of the national dialogue, aimed at political reforms after Shiite-led protests were crushed in a bloody crackdown in March, Al-Wefaq has called for a government led by a parliamentary majority.
Al-Wefaq has stressed it is not calling for the fall of the regime in Shiite-majority Bahrain, which is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa dynasty.
Source: Agence France Presse
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