9th Sep, 2013 –
Citizens for Bahrain has expressed its hope on several recent occasions that all sides will renew their efforts to make the National Dialogue a success; in the belief that this is the only satisfactory route out of the ongoing political crisis.
Therefore, we strongly condemn the failure of opposition groups to show up at this week’s session. The pace of the Dialogue is already far too slow, with various groups temporarily pulling out under different weak pretexts. It is unacceptable for certain parties to withdraw every time something occurs that they don’t like – this is a recipe for indefinite stalemate.
It is also important that the Bahraini Authorities avoid unnecessary measures that damage confidence and trust between the parties of the Dialogue.
All groups should be putting the national interests ahead of their own special interests and factional agendas if they desire a solution, which benefits Bahrain. Extremists and those who do not desire dialogue and are not willing to reach a consensus should not play a part in efforts to agree on a shared vision for Bahrain’s political future.
Too much time has already been wasted and Dialogue participants should be answerable for the fact that after several months of halting efforts, they still have not agreed on an agenda for their meetings. This is resulting in the Dialogue process losing credibility among citizens.
More dangerous still – a vacuum in the Dialogue process gives encouragement to militants and terrorists who want to destroy the fabric of our society.
The hopes and expectations of all Bahrainis are upon the shoulders of those participating in the National Dialogue. We hope these esteemed figures have the necessary political will to shoulder their responsibilities.