Bahrain Crown Prince and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Force, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Saturday called for a national day of mourning 'for the sons we have lost', the state news agency reported.

Prince Salman called for calm, asking citizens to unite and co-operate with all political forces in the country.

'I stress, once more, that our duty is to preserve security and stability, to ensure that there is no discord and that the situation does not worsen,' the statement on Bahrain's national news agency said.

He earlier ordered the withdrawal of all military from the streets of Bahrain meeting one of the conditions for talks spelt out by an ex-lawmaker of the main Shi'ite opposition bloc Wefaq, Ibrahim Mattar.

Soon after the troops left, tens of thousands of protesters, cheering and waving the national flags, swarmed back into Pearl Roundabout in Manama.

Speaking on Bahrain TV on Saturday, Crown Prince said, 'There is today a glowing ray of hope and I am grateful to all the wise and rational men who called for and responded to the call for calm, security and national cohesion.'
 
'We now begin a new phase, a phase in which we will discuss all our issues sincerely and honestly,' he stated.

'I would like to convey the message that calm is required at this time, so that all parties can put forward their views and issues in a responsible and productive way,' he added.
 
Crown Prince said,'Today, matters started returning back to normal and I stress, once more, that our duty is to preserve security and stability, to ensure that there is no discord and that the situation does not worsen.'

'The more we can maintain calm as we move forward, the nearer we can get to our goal,' he observed.
 
'I hope that we can join hands, work together and communicate with all political forces in the country. Join us to calm the situation, so that we can announce a day of mourning for our lost sons,' he added.

A day earlier, the Crown Prince was asked by King Hamad to start a national dialogue 'with all parties' to resolve the crisis.-Reuters and TradeArabia News Service