By Andrew Hammond
REUTERS
DUBAI: Bahrain’s king approved parliamentary reforms Thursday after the suppression of pro-democracy protests, granting more powers of scrutiny for the elected lower house but preserving the dominance of an upper house appointed by the royal elite.

King Hamad bin Isa was addressing a state-appointed body called the National Dialogue, set up to address popular grievances after martial law was rescinded in May, after it presented its final proposals on reforms.
They fell far short of what opposition groups and protesters demanded in February and March, when the unrest was crushed.

The country’s largest Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq, walked out of the dialogue last week, calling it “theater.”
“We have ordered the executive and legislative authorities to take the necessary measures to approve the agreements,” the king said in a speech shown on state television.
He also ordered a pay rise for civilian and military government employees – a move reminiscent of Saudi Arabia’s move earlier this year disbursing huge handouts to key sectors of society in a bid to prevent a popular revolt like those that have shaken other authoritarian Arab states this year.

Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim rulers called in troops from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in March to help quell protests dominated by the majority Shiite community. The government said the unrest was sectarian and backed by non-Arab Shiite power Iran. Bahraini Shiites denied this.
A summary of the National Dialogue’s proposals published Thursday include a greater degree of oversight of government by the elected lower house but the key dispute over balance of power between different parliamentary chambers was not resolved.

“They did not agree on whether the Shura Council [upper house] should be granted the same powers as the parliament, and whether the responsibility for lawmaking and oversight should be restricted to the elected chamber,” the summary sent to Reuters by the National Dialogue body said.
“Delegates did not reach consensus on a number of further suggestions, such as limiting the term for ministers and head of government or a fixed quota for women in parliament.”
The appointed upper house has just as many seats as the elected lower house and dominates the legislative process.

Al-Wefaq spokesman Khalil al-Marzouq said the final proposals vindicated his group’s decision to boycott. It did not attend the ceremony with the king.
“The reason we pulled out is because of this. The upper house should only be there for consultation,” he said.
Bahrain has tried to address international criticism, including from Washington, of a harsh security crackdown that followed the breakup of the protests involving detention, military trials, sackings and some deaths in custody.

“Participants recognized the importance of resolving the issues surrounding redundancies during the recent unrest,” the summary said. “They recommended looking at international best practices in finding solutions to overcome sectarian divides and support the healing process after the recent crisis.”
Bahrain, home port to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, is seen as a fault line for tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the leader of Sunni Islam.

The International Crisis Group think-tank issued a bleak report Thursday saying a re-eruption of civil unrest was possible at any time in Bahrain with hard-liners among Sunnis, Shiites and the ruling elite preparing for any more conflict.
“There is reason to fear that Bahrain is heading for prolonged political stalemate, enforced by a heavy security presence backed by foreign troops and punctuated by protests when circumstance permits,” the ICG said.