Posted by
Gray Ghost on Friday, June 06, 2008 9:12:48 AM
In an interview with the London daily newspaper Al-Hayat on May 16, 2008, former Bahraini army chief of staff Sheikh Maj.-General Khalifa ibn Ahmad Aal-Khalifa accused Iran of playing a part in the recent disturbances in Bahrain. He also criticized Iran's policy of interfering in the affairs of other countries. His interview with this London newspaper (written in Arabic) is very interesting on many levels. Take a look at some of the general's quotes:
"Some [who participated in recent disturbances in Bahrain] do indeed have ties with Iran. This is part of Iran's policy; [Iran] is like an octopus - it is rummaging around in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Gaza, and Bahrain. We are not in the least worried about the groups that are located in Bahrain. Actually, it is a very small group... We can handle elements that are much larger..."
"Bahrain has been cooperating with the forces of friendly [foreign countries like the USA]
for over 60 years, helping them to [do their job]
, in return for [their]
safeguarding [Bahrain's]
security. It is both understandable and legitimate that a country should be willing to cooperate with friendly forces in order to safeguard its security and to deal with threats directed against it. Countries do not act this way because they enjoy foreign presence but because they feel that there are threats against them that exceed their capability to safeguard their security [independently]. [Here]
in Bahrain, we understand, respect, and support this tendency."
"Yes, without a doubt. No one wants war. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians may take some time, but as concerns Syria, the situation is different. Syria may achieve peace just like Jordan and Egypt, and we hope that Lebanon will achieve such peace as well. In my opinion, peace between Syria and Israel will make it easier to [achieve] the longed-for peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
It is very interesting that a former high level government official of Bahrain would make some of these comments. He could be making these comments strictly for consumption in the "West". But I don't get that "take" after reading his interview.