Clinton Urges 'Restraint' in Bahrain
AFP reports:
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday urged Bahrain to show restraint, bolster reform efforts and "hold accountable" those who used deadly force against anti-government protesters.
Clinton delivered the message to Bahrain's foreign minister in the latest sign of growing administration anxiety over instability in the home of the US Fifth Fleet and neighbor of another leading US ally, oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
The chief US diplomat said she "directly conveyed" to her counterpart Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa "our deep concerns about the actions of the security forces" in deadly protests.
She also urged him to make sure that prayers and funerals on Friday "not be marred by violence."
She added: "I stressed the need to seriously engage all sectors of society in a constructive, consultative dialogue to meet the way forward in accordance with the aspirations of the people.
"And there have been reform steps taken which we want to see continued, we want to see strengthened," she said.
"We call on restraint from the government to keep its commitment to hold accountable those who have utilized excessive force against peaceful demonstrators," Clinton said.
Bahrain's military deployed armored vehicles in the center of the capital Manama and vowed to restore order Thursday after a violent police raid on anti-regime protesters left four people dead and scores wounded.
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