Curfew further relaxed in Bahrain

Bahrain on Wednesday eased an evening curfew it imposed last week around a seafront highway in an indication of improved security conditions in the area. "The exclusion zone timing will be from 10pm until 4am starting Wednesday and until further notice," the army said. "The reduction of the timing in the exclusion zone that extends from the Saif Flyover until the traffic light before the Shaikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Bridge, is based on the improvement of the security situation in the zone," it said in a statement. In the early morning, more cars could be seen on the roads after the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Union (Gfbtu) suspended its strike and called for the return to work. Salman Al Mahfoodh, the Gfbtu head, said that the call was issued after the federation received assurances that employees would not be harassed. "We announce the suspension of the strike and call upon all employees to resume work on Wednesday," the federation said. "We urge all employees to preserve social fabric and national unity in these critical times. At the same time, we call upon all ministries and establishments to appreciate the exceptional circumstances in Bahrain and preserve the rights of all employees." The Civil Service Bureau this week warned that it would take action against public sector employees who would fail to report to work without valid reasons. Seven opposition societies, led by Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest political and religious formation, supported the call to return to work in a bid to rescue the embattled economy, especially in the private sector, while radical formations said that they were against the end of the general strike. "We urge all workers and employees to explain their absence in the last few days and to highlight the lack of security factor and the threats," the societies said in a statement. The societies reiterated their call for a political solution to the crisis hitting the country and said that all detainees should be released. However, at the other end of the spectrum, Al Asala, the voice of Salafism, said that the Peninsula Shield, the military arm of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), should set up a permanent base in Bahrain. "We have called for a permanent base in Bahrain because it is needed to foil schemes and conspiracies threatening the region and to confront the Iranian project of exporting its revolution to the area in order to dominate it," Al Asala said. "This is a strategic choice and it should be seriously considered in light of the recent events and the blatant interference in the affairs of the GCC countries." Iran and Hezbollah have been accused of "violating all diplomatic laws and norms and undermining neighbourly relations" after their leaders issued statements that Bahrain deemed offensive and intrusive following the deployment of GCC units in Bahrain. Manama and Tehran recalled their ambassadors for consultations and each capital asked a diplomat to leave the country. Flights to Lebanon suspended The spat extended to Lebanon after Bahrain blasted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah of interference in its domestic affairs and warned the Lebanese government of repercussions throughout the GCC. In a move to protest against the statements in which he referred to events in Bahrain as a "special injustice", Manama suspended flights by its two airlines, Gulf Air and Bahrain Air, to Beirut and urged its nationals to leave Lebanon. Al Ayam, a Bahraini daily, on Tuesday said that five Lebanese had been arrested in Manama on suspicion of "links with foreign parties" and that the authorities searched the restaurant where they worked and their homes. In Beirut, Sa'ad Hariri, the outgoing prime minister, criticised Nasrallah for "harming the interest of the Lebanese and their historic relations with the Arabs". "Hezbollah's leadership is seeking to make changes in the Arab world the Iranian way and wants the Lebanese to agree on turning their country into an arena that exports revolutions," Hariri said. An Nahar daily said that Hariri called King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa on Tuesday evening to express his criticism of Nasrallah's statements and express concern about their effect on investments and tourism between the two countries. Around 600,000 Lebanese nationals live in the six Gulf countries. In Cairo, Amr Mousa, the Arab League chief, said that he discussed with the Iranian ambassador Bahrain's complaint about Iran's attitude while in Ankara, Ahmet Davuto?lu, Turkey's foreign minister, warned that turmoil in Bahrain had the "potential to create an international conflict and spread Shiite-Sunni tensions across the region." 'Very dangerous stage' The situation in Bahrain is at a "very dangerous stage" Bahrain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khaled Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa told Turkish TV channel NTV Wednesday. "What is happening in Bahrain is now at a very dangerous stage. There is stability but, we are absolutely afraid of the division between religious communities," Al Khalifa told in an interview with over-voice translation. Al Khalifa said Turkey and Bahrain should have a common policy on the divison between religious communities in the Islamic world. The Bahraini foreign minister visited pre-dominantly Muslim Turkey to discuss the unrest in his country. "We should discuss with our Turkish allies about a common stance for these divisions and conflicts between religious communities," he said. "In the whole region we should have a strategic agreement on how we would proceed in this transformation process," he said, referring to the uprisings in the Arab world.