Bahrain's national dialogue begins
Manama, February 10, 2013
The first session of Bahrain's National Consensus Dialogue was inaugurated today with the participation of various sections of Bahrain's society.
The dialogue is aimed at ending the political stalemate in the Kingdom.
At the commencement of the session, Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al-Khalifa conveyed greetings from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the leadership to all participants of the Dialogue. Their sincere wishes were offered for the successful outcome of the dialogue.
The Justice Minister expressed gratitude for the participation of all groups, including members of political societies, legislative authorities and independents.
He added that the dialogue is in place for the entire nation of Bahrain and its citizens and expressed his confidence for a successful outcome, leading to further joint political consensus that will forward the development process and reinforce national achievements.
The first session will be dedicated to setting the agenda and its points.
Earlier, dialogue spokesman and media centre head Isa Abdulrahman said around 30 people would take part in today's first session. "They can discuss everything on the table and there is no restriction," he said. "Consensus by all parties is key. This will also mean that the time frame of the dialogue depends on participants reaching consensus."
He added agreements reached during the dialogue would be implemented by legislation, amendments or by Royal decree, depending on the nature of the outcome. - TradeArabia News Service
