Bahrain Crown Prince Meets Opposition on Ending Political Deadlock

  • Middle East Policy

    Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.

New York Times


MANAMA — Bahrain’s crown prince met the Shi’ite Muslim opposition leader on Wednesday in search of a way out of a three-year political deadlock, a week after reconciliation talks were suspended in a setback for efforts to stabilize the U.S.-allied Gulf state.

The breakdown in the reconciliation process raised jitters in the tiny Gulf Arab island monarchy in the middle of a regional tussle for influence between Shi’ite Iran and Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

The meeting between Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa and opposition chief Sheikh Ali Salman was the first since shortly after major unrest among majority Shi’ites demanding democratic reforms and a bigger say in government broke out in early 2011.

“The meeting was especially frank and very transparent,” the Shi’ite opposition bloc al Wefaq said in a statement signed by the five main parties in it.

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  • Middle East Policy

    Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.

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