Hardline Shi'ite groups demand republic in Bahrain, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Three hardline groups call for end to monarchy
* Joining to create new republican movement
* Groups are smaller than main opposition Wefaq

(Adds analyst, Wefaq)

By Lin Noueihed MANAMA, March 8 (Reuters) - Three hardline Bahraini Shi'ite groups said on Tuesday they had formed a coalition aimed at toppling the Sunni monarchy and setting up a republic, raising tensions days ahead of a planned march on the royal court. The move is likely to be seen as an escalation by the ruling al-Khalifa dynasty and raises the chances of a renewed security crackdown against mainly Shi'ite Muslim protesters. The new "Coalition for a Republic", made up of Al Haq, Wafa and the Freedom movement, called for peaceful change through a decentralised movement of civil disobedience and resistance. Consisting of groups much smaller than the main opposition Wefaq movement, the new coalition risks splitting the broader Shi'ite opposition movement that is demanding an elected government and a true constitutional monarchy, as well as better access to jobs within the system.

"This tripartite coalition adopts the choice of bringing down the existing regime in Bahrain and establishing a democratic republican system," Haq leader Hassan Mushaimaa told reporters at Pearl roundabout, where protesters are camped out. "The monarchy has failed to bring down the revolution by force, and it now aims ... to co-opt its legitimate demands through murky political games and ... by inciting chaos." No stranger to sporadic protests and rioting, Bahrain has been gripped by the worst unrest since the 1990s after a youth movement took to the streets last month, emboldened by revolutions that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

Seven were killed in an ensuing clampdown by security forces early in the protests, but the situation has since calmed. The majority of Bahrainis are Shi'ites but the island, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, is ruled by the U.S.-backed al-Khalifa family, who are Sunnis. The outcome in Bahrain is being closely watched in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, where Shi'ites make up about 15 percent of the population and which has seen small protests. Risks of instability there would soar if the opposition in Bahrain toppled the ruling al-Khalifa family, analysts said.

ESCALATION Al Haq has questioned the legitimacy of the ruling family before and the government has repeatedly arrested its leaders in recent years, including during a security crackdown last August. But Mushaimaa and other Al Haq leaders were pardoned by King Hamad after the protests erupted in Bahrain last month, and Mushaimaa returned from exile in London on Feb. 26. Thousands are still camped out in Manama's Pearl roundabout, many demanding the ouster of the royal family. Bahrain's Wefaq, which draws larger support than the new coalition and the youth movement, is more moderate.

Wefaq has called only for the resignation of the government and a constitutional monarchy that cedes more power to the people. Wefaq won 18 seats in parliament in recent elections, but complains the elected lower house can be overruled by an upper house appointed by the king. Wefaq's deputies quit after the protests began but the bloc has not joined in calling for a republic. "The key thing is to create a constitutional assembly now and hold free elections. This will be the only serious move to end this political crisis," said Khalil Marzooq, a Wefaq deputy. The government has made a number of concessions to the opposition since unrest started, including a limited cabinet reshuffle and the release of political prisoners.

The Crown Prince has offered dialogue, but opposition groups have set conditions for talks that include the sacking of the cabinet. Shadi Hamid, analyst from the Brookings Centre in Doha, said that the unrest in Bahrain would not end any time soon. "This is really a reflection of the Bahraini government's failure to deal with these protests in an effective manner," he said, adding the government had not made any serious moves toward reforms or started dialogue with the opposition. "We know that the Saudis are going to do whatever they can to back the Khalifa family and the absolute last thing they want to see is talk about the monarchy ending and a republic being the new form of government."

(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Dubai and Frederik Richter in Manama, Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Sonya Hepinstall)

Saudi Arabia detained 22 Shi'ites, activists say, Postd by Meosha Eaton

* Authorities detained at least 22 after Shi'ite protest
* Protests held in oil-producing eastern region

(Adds quote, details in paragraph 9-10)

DUBAI, March 6 (Reuters) - Security forces in Saudi Arabia have detained at least 22 minority Shi'ite Muslims who protested last week over what they say is discrimination, activists said on Sunday.

Saudi Shi'ites have staged small protests for about two weeks in the kingdom's east, which holds much of the oil wealth of the world's top crude exporter. It is also near Bahrain, scene of protests by majority Shi'ites against their Sunni rulers.

"Twenty-two were arrested on Thursday plus four on Friday, so the total is 26. This was all in Qatif," said rights activist Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb, who heads the Saudi-based independent Human Rights First Society. A Shi'ite activist in the Shi'ite town of Qatif in the Eastern Province said he knew of 22 arrests. Interior ministry officials could not be reached for comment.

Shi'ite protests in Saudi Arabia started in the area of the main city town of Qatif and neighbouring Awwamiya and spread to the town of Hofuf on Friday. The demands were mainly for the release of prisoners they say are held without trial.

Saudi Shi'ites often complain they struggle to get senior government jobs and benefits given to other citizens. The government of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy without an elected parliament that usually does not tolerate public dissent, denies these charges.

The interior ministry said on Saturday demonstrations violated Islamic law and the kingdom's traditions, according to a statement on state news agency SPA.

"We are really worried by the detentions and harassment that people who take part in protests are facing," a statement by 15 rights activists said on Sunday. "These practices conflict with the right of peaceful association that the kingdom committed to ... at the U.N. Human Rights Council."

The activists said wives and other relatives of around nine men detained since a deadly 1996 attack on U.S. military in Khobar were ejected from the office of the local governor, Prince Mohammed bin Fahd, on Saturday when they tried to petition for their release.

"They met first on Wednesday with an official and he promised they would have a meeting with the governor. But when they went, he declined to meet and security guards intervened," the Shi'ite activist said. The Shi'ite website Rasid said they were verbally abused, as an official told them they were lucky the detainees had not been executed. The women started chanting "freedom, freedom".

The U.S. ally has escaped protests like those in Egypt and Tunisia which toppling regimes but some dissent has built up as unrest spread in other Arab countries and Saudi neighbours Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman. More than 17,000 people have backed a call on Facebook to hold two demonstrations this month, the first one on Friday.

A loose alliance of liberals, moderate Islamists and Shi'ites have petitioned King Abdullah to allow elections in the kingdom. Last month, Abdullah returned to Riyadh after a three-month medical absence and unveiled $37 billion in benefits for citizens in an apparent bid to curb dissent.

(Reporting by Andrew Hammond; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Shi'ite dissident returns to Bahrain from exile, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Shi'ite opposition leader allowed to return unhindered
* Cabinet reshuffle unlikely to pacify protesters
* Health, housing, cabinet affairs ministers replaced

(Adds confirmation of cabinet reshuffle)
By Frederik Richter

MANAMA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A hardline Shi'ite dissident flew home to Bahrain from exile on Saturday to join an opposition movement demanding that the island kingdom's Sunni ruling family grant more rights. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa reshuffled the cabinet but this appeared unlikely to pacify protesters inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere.

"We want a real constitution," Hassan Mushaimaa told reporters at the airport on his return. "They've promised us (one) before and then did whatever they wanted to."
"I'm here to see what are the demands of the people at the square and sit with them and talk to them," he said, referring to anti-government protesters camped in Manama's Pearl Square.

Thousands of demonstrators marched from Pearl Square to a former office of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa on Saturday in a new tactic to press demands for the removal of the man who had held his post for 40 years.
Sheikh Khalifa, the king's uncle, is a symbol of the ruling family's political power and wealth.

The march was the protesters' first foray into a government and commercial district of Manama. They halted at a compound which also houses the Foreign Ministry. Many waved Bahraini flags and chanted: "The people want the fall of the regime". Mushaimaa, London-based leader of the Shi'ite Haq movement, had been on trial in his absence over an alleged coup plot.

The other defendants in the case were freed in Bahrain this week and the Gulf Arab state's foreign minister said Mushaimaa had received a royal pardon and could return home unhindered. Allowing him to return was the latest in a series of concessions by the ruling al-Khalifa family aimed at placating Bahrain's majority Shi'ites who have been at the forefront of nearly two weeks of protests demanding more say in government.

Tens of thousands thronged the streets of Manama on Friday, declared a day of mourning by the government, in one of the biggest demonstrations since a "Day of Rage" on Feb. 14. Security forces did not interfere. Last week seven people were killed and hundreds wounded in unrest before Bahraini rulers, under pressure from their Western allies, pledged to allow peaceful protests and offered dialogue with opponents. This week the government released more than 300 people detained since a crackdown on Shi'ite unrest in August.


SOP TO OPPOSITION
In the cabinet reshuffle, the ministers of housing, health and cabinet affairs were replaced, according to the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
Majeed al-Alawi, a former opposition activist who served as labour minister, was made housing minister. Nazar al-Baharna, an outgoing minister of state for foreign affairs and one of the highest-ranking Shi'ite government officials, took the health portfolio, BNA said. Replacing the ministers of health and housing could be a concession to Shi'ites who have complained of discrimination in public services, complaints the government says are unjustified.

Many of the protesters were demanding a constitutional monarchy instead of the existing system where citizens vote for a mostly toothless parliament and policy remains the preserve of an elite centred on the al-Khalifa dynasty which has ruled Bahrain for 200 years.

The main Shi'ite opposition group Wefaq said in a statement the reshuffle fell far short of people's demands and called for the entire government to step down. Mushaimaa's Haq party is more radical than Wefaq, from which it split in 2006 when Wefaq contested a parliamentary election, effectively legitimising it. Opposition groups want to see a commitment to an elected government instead of one appointed by the king before they enter any dialogue. Before the reshuffle, about two-thirds of the cabinet were members of the ruling family.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Attiatullah al-Khalifa, minister for cabinet affairs, was replaced by Kamal Ahmed, a former official at the Economic Development Board, a body used by Bahrain's crown prince to implement economic reforms. BNA also said that the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) would be transformed into a ministry of energy headed by the head of NOGA Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza. His portfolio would include electricity and water affairs.

(Reporting by Frederik Richter; writing by Alistair Lyon; editing by Andrew Dobbie )

UPDATE 2-Bahrain says ready to talk, activist can return, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Foreign minister says "everything can be brought to table"
* Shi'ite opposition figure pardoned, free to enter country

(Recasts with foreign minister interview)

By Frederik Richter MANAMA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Bahrain, which has seen thousands of mainly Shi'ite protesters take to the streets, is seeking a national dialogue where everything is on the table, the kingdom's foreign minister said on Thursday. Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said a national dialogue would include "all walks of people", including a hardline Bahraini opposition figure who was pardoned and is seeking to return home.

"What's happening in Bahrain is a new transformation, a new beginning for our reforms that started a decade ago," Sheikh Khaled told Reuters. "Everything can be brought to the table," Sheikh Khaled said, responding to questions over whether Bahrain would consider changes in its cabinet in response to the demands of protesters. Bahrain saw the worst unrest since the 1990s when seven were killed last week in protests by its majority Shi'ites that complain of discrimination and want an elected government.

Sheikh Khaled said he expected formal talks between the government and the opposition to start within days and that Hassan Mushaimaa, the London-based leader of the Shi'ite Haq movement, could return to the country. Mushaimaa has been stranded in Beirut since Tuesday after authorities blocked him from boarding a flight to Manama because his name was on an international arrest warrant. A Lebanese judicial source said Mushaimaa's passport had been seized, but he was not in custody.

"The Bahraini government has distributed his name to borders in the Arab world," Abbas al-Amran, a friend of Mushaimaa, told Reuters. "He will not let himself be arrested. He wants to take a plane and come to Bahrain as an ordinary citizen." REFORM DEMANDS Mushaimaa is among 25 people charged last year over an alleged coup plot and was being tried in absentia. But the government freed the other defendants on Tuesday as one of several gestures to try to defuse anti-government protests that at their height drew tens of thousands. A statement by King Hamad bin Isa on Monday hinted the trial would be shelved, which would let Mushaimaa return unhindered.

Lebanese authorities were checking with Bahraini authorities on whether to let him fly to Manama, the Lebanese official said. Mushaimaa's Haq party is more radical than the Shi'ite Wefaq party, from which it split in 2006 when Wefaq contested a parliamentary election. Haq's leaders have often been arrested in recent years, only to receive royal pardons. Bahrain's protesters want a constitutional monarchy instead of the existing system where citizens vote for a mostly toothless parliament and policy remains the preserve of a ruling elite centred on the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty.

Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa has offered dialogue but has yet to persuade the opposition that the government is serious about constitutional reforms. Pro-government supporters have also staged rallies.

"Talks with representatives of Bahrain society and the Crown Prince continue and positive progress is being made towards the commencement of the national dialogue," a government statement said. The Shi'ite opposition Wefaq party, however, said there had been "no progress at all". Former Wefaq lawmaker Ibrahim Mattar said his party wanted a clear commitment to a constitutional monarchy before coming to the table. The al-Khalifa family, which has ruled Bahrain for 200 years, dominates a cabinet led by the king's uncle, who has been prime minister for 40 years since independence in 1971.

Bahrain frees prisoners to mollify protesters, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Bahrain frees 23 accused in coup plot against monarchy
* About 250 detainees freed overnight as sop to protesters
* Exiled Shi'ite leader expected to return soon
(Adds details on prisoner release, comment from lawyer, Bahrain king in Saudi Arabia)
By Frederik Richter

MANAMA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Bahrain has freed 23 people accused of trying to topple the island's Sunni Muslim monarchy, along with more than 200 other mostly Shi'ite prisoners detained in recent months, a lawyer said on Wednesday. The prisoner release was a further concession to the mainly Shi'ite protesters who took to the streets last week to demand a constitutional monarchy and an elected government, emboldened by a surge of popular unrest across the Arab world. It also preceded the expected return to Bahrain of Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of the hardline Shi'ite Haq party, one of two people tried in absentia for his part in the alleged coup plot.

Mohammed al-Tajer, a lawyer for the 23 activists, told Reuters that about 250 prisoners had been released. Most were detained as part of a crackdown launched on some Shi'ite opposition groups last August and during subsequent protests. The opposition describes youngsters arrested during clashes with security forces in Shi'ite villages as political prisoners. Tajer said detainees picked up in last week's confrontations between security forces and protesters had been freed earlier. He said it was not clear if the 25 charged in the coup plot had received royal pardons or if the case could be revived. "If this is just a suspension of the charges, they might bring up the case again or file other charges. We're waiting for an official statement," he said. Opposition leaders welcomed the prisoner release.

"Allowing the people to protest and releasing those people are positive moves," said Ibrahim Mattar of the main Shi'ite Wefaq party. Opposition groups were waiting for the royal family to accept the principle of a constitutional monarchy before they would enter into a dialogue offered by the king, he added.
Majority Shi'ites have long complained of discrimination in Sunni-ruled Bahrain, which is a close U.S. and Saudi ally. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa was in Riyadh to welcome home Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah from an extended absence due to ill-health, a sign of tight ties between the Bahraini royals and their far stronger Saudi counterparts. Saudi Arabia is concerned unrest in Bahrain might spread to its own Shi'ite minority.

Bahrain's 70 percent Shi'ite majority wants to overhaul a system where parliament has little power and policy remains the preserve of an elite centred on the royal al-Khalifa family. The al-Khalifa dynasty has ruled Bahrain for 200 years, and the family dominates a cabinet led by the king's uncle, who has been prime minister since independence from Britain in 1971. Before the prisoner release, Bahrain's rulers had agreed to allow peaceful protests and had offered dialogue on reform. "The main point we are waiting for is the initiative for political reform. Until now they didn't promise anything," Mattar said. "If they don't say it, we are wasting our time."


YOUTHS EMERGE FROM JAIL
Protesters had demanded the release of political prisoners in Bahrain, where seven people were killed and hundreds wounded in demonstrations last week. In the first releases, late on Tuesday night, two dozen relatives waited at the jail for teenaged prisoners, who emerged one by one with solemn, unshaven faces. Some waved victory signs. One waiting mother tossed a sprig of basil in the air to welcome her freed son, a Reuters photographer said.The 23 men jailed for the coup plot, who include some Shi'ite clerics, were put on trial in October after a broad security crackdown on some Shi'ite opposition groups in August.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Bahrain's king and crown prince for freeing political prisoners,  allowing peaceful demonstrations and offering talks with the opposition. "These steps will need to be followed by concrete actions and reforms," she told reporters on Tuesday, warning that "there is no place for violence against peaceful protesters". Bahrain is a small but strategic U.S. ally that hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in a region shadowed by fears of Iran's nuclear ambitions.

In Bahrain, as in Egypt and Tunisia, the United States has tried to walk a difficult line in dealing with popular revolts against entrenched Arab leaders long allied to Washington. "Across the Middle East, people are calling on their governments to be more open, more accountable and more responsive. Without genuine progress toward open and accountable political systems the gap between people and their governments can only grow and instability can only deepen," Clinton said.

Mushaimaa, the Shi'ite opposition leader, was due to have returned from exile in London on Tuesday, but was barred from a Bahrain-bound flight from Beirut where he had stopped over. Tens of thousands of Shi'ite protesters filled streets in Manama on Tuesday demanding the fall of the Sunni-run government in the biggest protest since unrest began last week. The Bahrain government denies it treats Shi'ites unfairly. In a rally covered by state television on Monday, thousands carried Bahraini flags and signs supporting unity and dialogue.

(Reporting by Cynthia Johnston in Dubai, and Mohammed Arshad and Andrew Quinn in Washington; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Louise Ireland)