The al-Wefaq block says it will not take part in talks until the military is removed from the streets of the capital Manama. Tanks and soldiers have been stationed around the city’s Pearl Roundabout since Thursday, when authorities used tear gas, rubber bullets and birdshot to disperse anti-government protesters who were camping there.
Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Khalifa, justified the deadly crackdown saying it was necessary because demonstrators were pushing the country to what he characterized as the "brink of a sectarian abyss."
Abdul Jalil, a senior member of al-Wefaq, says the group does not believe the government’s request for cooperation is sincere. "We hear [the calls], but what we see on the ground is the language of bullets, so it’s really the opposite messages we receive from them. I don’t know if the Crown Prince has the political card only or has the military, police card as well," he said.
Abdul Jalil was one of 18 members of al-Wefaq who quit parliament to protest the recent violence against demonstrators.
They say they will only return when the king agrees to transform the nation into a constitutional democracy with an elected government.
