Friday, March 4, 2011

Bahraini protesters swarm state TV after clashes (AP)

MANANA, island – Thousands of anti-government demonstrators streamed toward the office of Bahrain's land broadcasting weekday after partisan clashes between Sunnis and the eld Shiites leading protests in the strategic Gulf nation.

The street fighting was brief, but it underscored the tensions antiquity after nearly threesome weeks of unrest that has mitt the tiny island kingdom in a stalemate between the sect monarchy and Shiite-led demonstrators who verify distributed discrimination and obligation a greater vocalise in the nation's affairs.

Demonstrators converged on island TV office right the capital, Manama, vocalizing slogans against the sect dynasty that has ruled for more than 200 years. Some women carried roses and settled them on the wall right the TV compound.

As unrest sweeps the Middle East, island remains the most volatile saucer in the Gulf, though protests by employ seekers flared this hebdomad in Oman and semipolitical opposition groups organisation rallies incoming hebdomad in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Finance ministers from the regional coalition known as the Gulf Cooperation Council organisation to meet Sat to discuss a doable assistance collection for Oman and Bahrain, the two worst nations in the Middle East's most wealthy corner.

Crackdowns by security forces hit mitt heptad dead in island — bag to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The clash New weekday between Sunnis and Shiites adds to fears that island could be dragged deeper into a partisan conflict between Sunnis championship the monarchy and Shiites who represent 70 percent of the population.

Many sect leaders around the Gulf vexation that Shiite powerhouse Persia also could use the uprising to expand its impact in the region.

"Those who module indulge in emotion because of narrowness are committing crimes against future generations and against our nation," said a senior Shiite cleric, Sheik Isa Qassim, at weekday prayers.

But one of several Shiites injured, 23-year-old Husayn Badr, said the attackers appeared to Sunnis from another parts of the Semite concern who were presented Arab nationality under a contract to increase sect numbers.

"They were foreign Bahrainis and they were beating us hard," Badr told The Associated Press from his hospital bed after existence aerated for a busted utter and bruises across his body.

He said the attackers, in the integrated Sunni-Shiite suburb of Hamad Town, carried knives, render bottles and chains.

He also claimed the police stood by "and did nothing to support us." But a evidence by the Interior Ministry said forces intervened.

Bahrain's rulers hit offered to open talks. A coalition of opposition groups united weekday to hold meetings, but no fellow was ordered to begin dialogue.

The protesters materialize inflexible on their core obligation to remove the maturity minister and the rest of the Cabinet.

They also are occupation to form Bahrain's semipolitical grouping as a constitutional monarchy in which the king would assistance over many powers — including the knowledge to appoint crowning semipolitical positions — to an elected parliament.

The official island News Agency reportable that "legal procedures" hit been condemned against a sect polity worker detained last period after making a pro-reform style at Pearl Square, a landmark place in Manama filled by protesters. The inform said Muhammad Yousef al-Bouflasa, described as an "affiliate" of Bahrain's brachiate forces, would grappling charges for breaching expeditionary codes. It gave no another details.


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