Bahrain's opposition agrees to hold national dialogue

Bahrain's main opposition groups Tuesday agreed in principle to take part in a national dialogue called by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, ahead of the second anniversary of mass protests led by the Gulf state's Shiite minority, dpa reported.

A joint statement from six Shiite Islamist, pan-Arab and liberal opposition groups said that they "confirmed their commitment to take part in a serious dialogue and negotiation process that responds to the aspirations of the people of Bahrain for freedom, dignity and justice."

King Hamad had instructed Justice Minister Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa to start a dialogue process aimed at resolving Bahrain's political divide.

The opposition has been calling for a dialogue in recent months, and in December Crown Prince Salman offered to open a dialogue process. But the authorities withdrew the offer later, saying that no talks could be held before violence on the streets ended.

The opposition withdrew from a July 2011 dialogue process, complaining that they were under-represented and their demands were being ignored.

Mass protests demanding more democracy started on February 14 2011 in Bahrain.

Dominated by the country's Shiite majority, the protests were crushed a month later by the Sunni monarchy's security forces.

Sporadic protests have continued since then and Bahrain has attracted international criticism for the repression of demonstrations and harsh sentences handed down to opposition figures.