By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Anti-government protesters blockaded Bahrain’s Parliament and massed outside the state broadcaster Monday in efforts to escalate pressure on the nation’s embattled monarchy following two weeks of nonstop marches and deadly clashes.
Hundreds of mainly Shiite protesters marched out of Pearl Square toward Bahrain’s appointed chamber of Parliament, chanting “The people want to topple the regime,” and “Unity, national unity!”

They also carried banners that read “Bring down the Shura Council,” in reference to the 40-member consultative council, appointed by the king, which has the power to block legislation from the lower house.

The demonstrations appear part of a strategy to hold rallies at sensitive locations in the capital Manama while maintaining a round-the-clock protest base in a landmark square in the Gulf kingdom.
The Parliament became a target to coincide with a meeting called by the upper chamber. The session was delayed by several hours as protesters formed a chain around the entrance.

From Parliament, the marchers then moved to the state TV headquarters, chanting slogans that claim the reports on the unrest seek to widen rifts between the Shiite-led protesters and the Sunni dynasty that has ruled Bahrain for more than two centuries.
Shiites, who account for about 70 percent of the country’s 525,000 people, have long complained of discrimination and other abuses by the Sunni rulers.

However, the Bahrain leadership is under pressure from Gulf allies not to offer too many political concessions to Shiites. Many Sunnis across the region, such as Saudi Arabia, fear that conceding significant power to Bahrain’s Shiites could open the door for greater influence by Shiite powerhouse Iran.
Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa said Monday efforts were under way to launch talks with the opposition, which is demanding major political reforms.

“The steps we have taken in the last few days have calmed the situation and helped restore life in Bahrain to normal in preparation for dialogue,” Prince Salman said in a statement carried by state news agency BNA.
However, “some continue to seek to block reform,” he said, adding that “such disruption only harms the interests of the people of Bahrain.”

Opposition leader Hassan Mashaimaa, who returned home to Bahrain Saturday from self-imposed exile in Britain, is set to lead Monday evening prayers in Karbabad, a village west of the capital Manama.
A large procession to the headquarters of the Parliament scheduled for Tuesday coincides with a meeting of the members of the Parliament.

MP Jassem Hussein of the Shiite Al-Wifaq bloc said Monday that the official resignation of the party’s 18 members was still pending parliamentary approval.
All of Al-Wifaq’s 18 MPs resigned Sunday in protest to the killing of seven anti-regime demonstrators by security forces since protests began on Feb. 14.

“We are still waiting … but expect this will be left as unfinished business,” Hussein said.
The 18 MPs of Al-Wifaq, which makes up the largest single bloc in the Parliament, earlier announced they were quitting the assembly.

Official Bahraini opposition groups led by Al-Wifaq have stopped short of demanding outright regime change, instead calling for major reforms including an elected prime minister and the creation of a “real” constitutional monarchy. – AP, AFP