The approval of Bahrain's report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva is an honourable achievement for Bahrain and its people, His Majesty King Hamad said yesterday.

It is also compelling evidence of the international community's appreciation and support of its reforms, he told Minister of State for Human Rights Affairs Dr Salah Ali in a telephone conversation.

His Majesty expressed his appreciation to the members of Bahrain's delegation to the Periodic Universal Review session at the UN council for their efforts to project the real image of the human rights situation in the kingdom and highlight its landmark achievements in the legal and human rights field.

He said the report's approval reflected Bahrain's commitment to protect and respect human rights and dignity.

Dr Ali met International Commission of Jurists representative to the UN Alex Conte and updated him on Bahrain's approval of 158 out of 176 recommendations set by the UN council, pointing out the kingdom's mechanism to ensure their implementation.

He also met Belarusian Ambassador to the council and outlined measures to implement the recommendations. He defended the kingdom's reserved stance on the recommendation relating to the death penalty as it contravenes Sharia precepts and the constitution.

Meanwhile, Bahrain's business community praised the kingdom's success in winning the world's trust regarding human rights.

Bahrain's successful efforts in projecting the real image to the world in full transparency will attract major investment companies, in view of the kingdom's laws and favourable investment infrastructure, business leaders said. They also hailed the leadership and Bahrain's Geneva delegation on the approval of its rights report.-TradeArabia News Service