HRH Crown Prince speaks to CNN about national dialogue initiative in Bahrain - 19 Feb 11

The full interview of HRH Crown Prince with Nic Robertson of CNN first broadcast at 2200hrs (Bahrain Time) on 19 February 2011.

Full transcript:

Interview between Nic Robertson (NR), CNN, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince (HRHCP)

NR: Today we've seen the army pull of the streets, the army pull off the streets, the protestors get to Pearl Roundabout, what's happened? This seems like a reversal.

HRHCP: What has happened is that we have, under the leadership of his Majesty decided, that the best way to handle the situation without any further loss of life or injuries is through dialogue.

NR: Who are you engaging with in dialogue now?

HRHCP: All political parties in the country will have a voice at the table. His Majesty last night issued a decree charging me with leading that dialogue and my role has been to defuse the situation, to reach out to all the political parties, and to make sure that trust is built between all sides. So what happened today is the first step in building that trust. I think there is a lot of anger, a lot of sadness, and on that note I would like to extend my condolences to all of the families who lost loved ones and all of those who have been injured. We are terribly sorry and this is a terrible tragedy for our nation.

NR: Yesterday people saw the pictures of a group of men walking towards the roundabout with their hands in the air saying "peace, peace, peace." There was a volley of shots and a number of them were seen immediately afterwards on the ground, one at least apparently dead. What happened? Who's responsible?

HRHCP: Well, nobody has died yet from that, but one is very, very, very critically ill. It was a terrible tragedy. When I heard that news I hopped into my car and drove straight to the TV station and spoke to the nation and appealed for calm. How that happened will have to be discussed, and studied, and understood. There is a lot of tension on the streets, the net effect, of course, is in making our job much harder. But what we must do is extend our hand to all of those who would like to reach out across the aisle to one another, from all sects, from all political ideologies, and say enough. This is not the Bahrain I know. I never thought I would see the day that something like that would happen.

NR: Has there ever been a moment so tense and dangerous in Bahrain's history as today?

HRHCP: I don't know what the soldiers in Northern Ireland felt or Ohio State in America, but this is our tragedy and we will have to commemorate it in some way.

NR: And now the protestors are back in Pearl Roundabout, what will happen? Will they be allowed to stay there?

HRHCP: Absolutely. We are working to get them to a safe place. Our big fear.... The protestors in Pearl Roundabout represent a very significant proportion of our society and our political belief. But there are other forces at work here. This is not Egypt and this is not Tunisia. And what we don't want to do, like in Northern Ireland, is to descend into militia warfare or sectarianism. It is our role to build enough trust with the moderates in the country that we can transcend this problem and any future ones.

NR: The reforms that the people are calling for: Reforms that will bring, they say, equality; better housing; better jobs, can you guarantee at this stage that these are going to be on the table and these are going to be achievable for all these people.

HRHCP: Absolutely. And because all of us will be involved in making them happen. I'm not going to exclude anyone from the process of rebuilding our national identity. We almost lost out soul yesterday. It was a very difficult day.

NR: And to the people who say reforms were started 10 years ago and we saw nothing, how can we trust the government now...

HRHCP: Well, I mean, nothing is a farther cry from what was achieved. People wouldn't have been able to have conversations about political issues 10 years ago, there were no political societies 10 years ago, there was no social security guarantees, there were, I mean... a massive amount... there wasn't as vibrant a press as there is now, there was no internet freedom, (although I could argue that it needs more), but what is certainly the case is it wasn't enough and we need to do more and I pledge myself to that task to the best of my ability.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Bahrain
• Crown Prince
• protests
• CNN

[Maitha87]

There is no double-standards in what the CP is saying. There are internal conflicts within the Al-Khalifas: The King, his sons, vs. Saudi-backed Prime minister. Attacks on the protesters were under Saudi orders which the PM executed, CP has little power in comparison to PM. Know your facts.

[itube027]

Bahrain is Bahrain, I believe the will of the people from all sects and backgrounds will save us from becoming an Iran, or a Saudi Arabia... I suggest people shift the discussion on here towards understanding shared civil liberties and the respect that it demands for the differences among us. Hate needs to be understood if we are to overcome it. The comments I have read here are filled with a lot of hate: the polite and the rude kind. That, I think, is very telling...

[fbastaki]

These people are destroying the country and economy while they receive world-class healthcare, unemployment benefits, free education, government subsidies, one of the lowest gasoline prices in the world, and more. Now you want people to spoon feed you and give every citizen free housing? Give me a break. Work to earn a living. Every country has unemployment problems, including the US. What an excuse to overthrow a government based on sectarian issues.

[mkz3434]

@evilreiko oh and you are??

[thelifeuwant]

watch this and see how peaceful unarmed civilians were killed in cold blood by the Bahrain Army.. which by the way is controlled by the royal family.. :

watch?v=B3WRKoZPPao&feature&sk­­ipcontrinter=1

[itube027]

(Part-3)

On the other hand, I believe it is the duty of those discriminated against to endeavour to succeed peacefully despite what is imposed on them, until their voice is heard and respected... Instead of victimising themselves. Pointing fingers in either direction is an easy distraction from looking inwards and at oneself. Ask "what am I doing for myself?" before asking "what are they doing to me?"

[itube027]

(Part-2)

Discrimination in Bahrain does exist and reform is needed. That is a fact. For any country to have an army and police force made up of mostly (not all, mind you) naturalised immigrants is completely unacceptable by any standards. No rational mind can conclude it to be a good thing. Those who claim otherwise are just blind to it, choose to be ignorant about it, or somehow profit from it...

[itube027]

My comment will be in a few parts because of the character limit :( I have tried to be as concise as I can in my argument.

(Part-1):

I really do believe the Crown Prince is honest in his intentions and have faith in the young monarchs of the region who are wise enough, and worldly enough, to really understand the importance of civil liberties in our world today.

What saddens me is the bigoted and nearsighted opinions being expressed on both sides of the argument in the comments here.

[evilreiko]

@mkz3434 it's the bullets fault who killed innocent peaceful protesters, right?

[evilreiko]

@fahd08 The royal family members are not original Bahrainis, to begin with LOL