Top German MP warns S. Arabia of 'playing with fire' in Bahrain

2011/05/14

The chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament, Ruprecht Polenz, warned Saudi Arabia of 'playing with fire' in Bahrain by sparking a confessional conflict in the small Persian Gulf kingdom.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament, Ruprecht Polenz, warned Saudi Arabia of 'playing with fire' in Bahrain by sparking a confessional conflict in the small Persian Gulf kingdom.

Polenz told foreign journalists in Berlin on Thursday that the political, social and economic conflict in Bahrain should not be turned into a religious strife by Saudi Arabia which continues to occupy its neighbor.

He urged the Bahraini leadership to 'address the political, economic and social questions' in its country in a bid 'to avoid a confessional conflict.'

The Christian Democratic lawmaker assessed the overall situation in Bahrain as 'volatile,' saying the conflict in the Arab country could spill across its borders.

Dozens of Bahraini protesters have been killed in government crackdowns which included also the use of live ammunition, human rights activists say.

Hundreds of people had been arrested, and hundreds more were fired from their jobs for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations against the Bahraini regime which began in mid-February.

Violence escalated further after Saudi troops were deployed in Bahrain and a state of emergency was declared to help quell the unrest.

Source: Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA).
Link: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=241401.