“Healing process” is aim of Bahrain dialogue
\nBradley Hope and Asa Fitch – Jul 3, 2011 <\/p>\n
MANAMA – Bahrain moved cautiously forward on a path towards reconciliation yesterday with the inauguration of a “National Dialogue” about the country’s future.<\/p>\n
The dialogue was a “healing process” for the country, said Khalifa Dhahrani, the parliament speaker and chairman of the dialogue. While there would be “no preconditions and no ceiling” to the principles submitted to King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa at the end of the process, he emphasised that the dialogue was about ideas, not immediate change.<\/p>\n
The discussions would be broken down into four main categories: political, social, economic and legal, officials said. There would also be an extra session for issues concerning expatriates.<\/p>\n
“This dialogue is not resulting in solutions or decisions,” said Isa Abdulrahman, the spokesman of the National Dialogue. “It will be visions.”<\/p>\n
He said that topics with a consensus would be submitted to the king, as would those where no agreement could be reached and the reasons why.<\/p>\n
New billboards were raised across the city to promote the dialogue with the slogan: “Our Bahrain, Our Unity”. It was a marked contrast from the pitched battles that took place between protesters and the police in March on the streets of Manama.<\/p>\n
At least 30 people died during the protests, including a 30-year-old man who succumbed to a head wound on Thursday. …source<\/a><\/p>\n