Bahraini FM to Salam: We Hope No One Interferes in Our Affairs

Bahraini Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa on Friday told Prime Minister Tammam Salam that “no Lebanese party should interfere in Bahrain's affairs.”

“Bahrain is keen on the unity and stability of Lebanon and considers it a symbol for civilization among the Arab countries,” the minister said during a meeting with Salam on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Lebanon's National News Agency said al-Khalifa “hoped no Lebanese political party interferes in Bahrain’s affairs, because that might affect the relations between the two countries.”

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on January 9 alleged the presence of a “Zionist-like naturalization scheme” in the kingdom, saying “people are flocking to it from all over the world.”

Nasrallah also renewed his party's support for the Shiite-led Bahraini opposition and accused the kingdom's authorities of arbitrarily arresting opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman.

The Bahraini FM told Salam that “the Lebanese in Bahrain are in their country and among their people, and nothing will harm them.”

For his part, Salam stated his “keenness on preserving the relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain and with all the Arab Gulf countries which have always supported Lebanon in the hard times.”

He also stressed that the government is “keen not to interfere in the affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and it is looking forward to solidarity with the Arab countries.”

Salam is currently in Munich to attend the 51st session of the Munich Security Conference.

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