Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter IV — Narrative of Events of February and March 2011
statements attributed to him were fallacious and baseless. Sheikh Ali Salman
also rejected all forms of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Bahrain.
He later explained that during the meeting he had expressed the view that
inviting the GCC-JSF was a “strategic mistake” because it internationalised an
internal crisis and provided the Islamic Republic of Iran with a pretext to
intervene in Bahrain.
504. The 14 February Youth Group issued a statement, which it circulated
on internet social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, to
announce that the main roads and highways in the vicinity of the GCC
Roundabout would be opened. This included the King Faisal Highway and
the Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Road. The statement noted that these youth
groups “were aware of the extent of the deliberate misrepresentation and
tarnishing that was occurring against their peaceful movement, which had
impressed the world with its civility”. The statement also noted that measures
to threaten civilians and undermine their interests were not among the
objectives or activities of the 14 February Youth.
505. Early that evening, the leader of the Gathering of National Unity,
Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Mahmoud, held a press conference in which he outlined
his views on the recent developments in Bahrain and on the political
negotiations between HRH the Crown Prince and opposition parties. Sheikh
Al-Mahmoud’s remarks included the following points:
a. There is no need to declare a State of Martial Law, as some
political figures have suggested. The GoB is capable of
regaining control of the situation in Bahrain and restoring
order.
b. Bahrain is part of the GCC community, and any intervention
from outside that community is unacceptable.
c. The situation in Bahrain is alarming, especially in light of the
clashes that are occurring in the various cities and villages.
d. The meeting between the Gathering of National Unity and the
opposition parties that was held yesterday at the headquarters
of Al Wefaq reached a “dead-end”. The principal difference
between the participants is that the opposition insists on the
election of a Constituent Assembly that would not include any
representatives of the regime. The Gathering of National
Unity, on the other hand, considers the representation of the
regime indispensible in any Constituent Assembly.
e. The Gathering of National Unity also differs from the
opposition in that the latter insists on discussing the preconditions
and principles of the proposed national dialogue,
and favours an immediate beginning of the dialogue the
results of which should be presented to the people for
approval through a popular referendum.
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