Bahrain opposition says undecided on talks

Bahrain's largest opposition formation has not yet decided if it will take part in the national dialogue proposed by King Hamad that is set to begin on July 1, its head told AFP on Saturday.

"We have not yet made a decision on whether or not we will participate in the dialogue," Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq) leader cleric Sheikh Ali Salman said.

"We are still discussing this and I don't expect a decision to be made before Monday or Tuesday," he added.

The regime's actions do not presage a successful dialogue, said Salman.

King Hamad has named parliament speaker Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Dhahrani to lead the national dialogue, but Salman described him as "someone who does not believe in change."

"Dhahrani is more royalist than the king himself," he said.

The king named his son Crown Prince Sheikh Salman to lead a wide-reaching dialogue with the opposition when protesters occupied Manama's central Pearl Square in February and March to demand democratic reforms.

The opposition demanded a proper constitutional monarchy in which the prime minister would be elected, and in which the elected chamber would be vested with exclusive legislative and regulatory powers.

On June 1, King Hamad announced the lifting of the "state of national safety" he had decreed and renewed an offer of talks, led this time by Dhahrani.

But "the opposition, which represents the majority in the country has been marginalised," Salman said.

The largest opposition grouping, which had won 18 out of 40 parliament seats in the country before resigning in protest at the clampdown on activists, "is treated as a minority," Salman said.

"Al-Wefaq was invited to choose only five representatives out of 300 participating in the dialogue," he said.

"The natural path for dialogue would be by releasing political prisoners, suspending ongoing trials of opposition members and respecting civil liberties."

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