MANAMA, March 27, (Agencies): Bahrain’s largest Shiite opposition group Wefaq has accepted Kuwait as a mediator with Bahrain’s government to end a political crisis gripping the tiny kingdom, a member of Wefaq said on Sunday.
Bahrain imposed martial law and called in troops from neighbouring Sunni-ruled states earlier this month to quell weeks of unrest by mostly Shiite protesters.
Jasim Husain, a member of Wefaq, said Kuwait’s HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah had offered to mediate between Bahrain’s Sunni al-Khalifa ruling family and Shiite opposition groups.
“We welcome the idea of bringing in an outside element,” Husain told Reuters.
Husain said talks had to address issues outlined by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa before Gulf state troops entered Bahrain. These include an elected government and reform of electoral districts that the opposition says were drawn to ensure a Sunni majority in parliament.

“The fear is that the results (of mediation) may not be acceptable to the opposition or that they can’t be sold to the public,” said Husain.
Wefaq and its six allies said last week they would not enter talks unless the government pulled troops off the streets and freed prisoners.
Observers said Wefaq had now dropped these demands.
“This is the most significant political development in the efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful solution,” said Mansoor al-Jamri, editor of the opposition Al-Wasat newspaper.
Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which view Bahrain’s ruling family as a bulwark against regional Shiite power Iran, have sent troops to Bahrain to help it quell weeks of pro-democracy protests.
Kuwait, which has a Shiite minority of its own, has sent navy vessels to Bahrain under a Gulf security pact to patrol its northern coastline.
The Gulf Cooperation Council — a regional political and economic bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — welcomed the mediation move.

Initiative
“We hope that this initiative will be in the interest of security and stability,” Secretary-General Abdulrahman al-Attiyah told reporters in Kuwait.
Wefaq and its allies want an elected council to redraft the constitution, a demand over which preliminary talks with Khalifa collapsed shortly before Gulf troops arrived and Bahrain drove protesters off the streets and banned public gatherings.
More than 60 percent of Bahrainis are Shiites, and most are campaigning for a constitutional monarchy, but calls by hardliners for the overthrow of the monarchy have alarmed Sunnis, who fear the unrest serves Iran, separated from Bahrain by just a short stretch of Gulf waters.
Seven civilians and four police died in the crackdown. The ferocity of the government response to the unrest stunned Bahrain’s majority Shiites and angered Iran.
A Wefaq delegation is set to meet Kuwaiti politicians including Parliament Speaker Jassem al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah said on Sunday, citing unnamed political sources.

Ali al-Matrook, a Kuwaiti Shiite businessman, is one of the mediators, Wefaq’s Husain said.
Bahrain cut curfew times again, by an hour, on Sunday. From Seef Mall through the financial district to the diplomatic area the curfew now runs from 11 p.m. (0200 GMT) to 4 a.m. (0700 GMT), cut gradually from 12 hours when it was first imposed.
Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah said Sunday the efforts being made by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah were part of the good offices of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries aiming to stabilize the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“The mediation efforts wouldn’t be successful without a sincere desire on the part of the Bahraini leaders to protect the stability and security of their country,” he said.

“The suggestions raised in this regard are being studied and accepted in principle by the other party but it takes time to build confidence between the two sides; this is where HH the Amir’s efforts focus,” he pointed out.
Sheikh Dr. Mohammad said the Kuwaitis materialized the best image of the principle of true citizenship based on patriotism and away from any other considerations.
“The Kuwaitis responded promptly to Bahrain’s call for the sisterly GCC countries to help protect the kingdom’s security and stability. The Kuwaitis did so are neither Sunnis nor Shiites; they are only Kuwaitis. They are taking part in the Peninsula Shield mission, offering humanitarian relief and backing the GCC mediation efforts in Bahrain,” he explained.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday urged Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa to hold talks with opposition leaders on political reforms amid continuing protests, the White House said.
“The vice president recognized the important steps taken by the crown prince to reach out to the opposition and that law and order are necessary in order for a productive dialogue to proceed,” a White House statement said after the phone call between the two leaders.
“The vice president encouraged additional outreach and meaningful reform that is responsive to the aspirations of all Bahrainis,” the statement read.
“The vice president and crown prince agreed that only a political solution would give Bahrain long-term stability.”
The US moves to encourage dialogue came after protesters in several Bahraini villages defied the government’s ban on demonstrations to press last week for the ouster of the country’s ruling family.
Protesters mainly from Shiite villages have been holding rallies against the ruling Sunni dynasty, while security forces have cracked down on the demonstrators.