Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain spews lies a lot, and as the saying goes, lies are the plague of speech, as forgetness is the plague of knowledge. What's new this time? Bringing up acts of mediation done by Gulf governments during the 2011 crisis and throwing them in the pit of the Gulf-Gulf media war, describing them as being a form of intervention or treachery. The latest of which are allegations of communications made between the Government of Qatar and opposition leaders in Bahrain. Why the need to make such efforts to desperately "expose" Qatar, when in reality, the report of the fact-finding Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa assigned to international judge Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni to supervise and whose findings were recited to the King in his palace, had already addressed this. The report has revealed since 2011 that Qatar attempted to play the role of the mediator in the political crisis in Bahrain answering to a US initiative.

"According to opposition sources, it was suggested that the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, could act as the sponsor of the proposed United States initiative," read the report.

The report further mentioned in paragraph 527 (p.153) that "opposition sources also indicated that the Emir of the State of Qatar, HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, attempted to mediate between the GoB and opposition parties in the following days, and that this initiative was accepted by the opposition but rejected by the GoB."

Bassiouni report speaking of Qatari mediation

However, this was not the only Qatari contact with the Bahraini crisis; as Qatar quickly re-positioned itself to fully accommodate the Gulf stance. On March 14, 2011, the former Qatari Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, accompanied by the Saudi foreign minister, unexpectedly visited the King of Bahrain and his Crown Prince, without the presence of the Bahraini Prime Minister. The "nighttime" visit, which was indeed "odd" came after the sudden announcement of the entrance of the Peninsula Shield troops to Bahrain. The Bahrain News Agency quoted Al-Thani as saying that "Qatar stands by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the face of any threat to its security and stability."

With the entry of the Peninsula Shield forces to Bahrain, a Qatari military official, Colonel Abdullah Al-Hajri, confirmed his country's participation in the Gulf military deployment in Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, for what he called a "contribution to maintaining order and security." The report of the fact-finding commission confirmed that the entry of Qatari forces to Bahrain was under the umbrella of the "Peninsula Shield".

In a statement to Al-Jazeera, Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani said that the entrance of Gulf troops to Bahrain was in accordance with the Gulf security treaties but noted that the Bahraini opposition "is part of the Bahraini people," calling on the opposition for dialogue and ending the sit-in protest.

"The Bahraini opposition is part of the Bahraini people and they mean to us as the rest of the people of Bahrain," said Shaikh Hamad. "I advise the protesting brothers to withdraw from their places (the sit-in). This is a sincere call. Let them start a serious dialogue with the government to reach the desired outcomes in Bahrain."

Meanwhile, Qatari preacher (of Egyptian origin) Yusuf Al-Qaradawi described Bahrain's uprising as sectarian in one of his Friday sermons, and editorials of Qatari newspapers defended the entrance of the Peninsula Shield forces, and thus gained the praise of Bahrain News Agency for these coverages of the events.

A few days after the troops entered the island kingdom, it was reported that Qatar had withdrawn its troops from Bahrain, following Iranian and Turkish efforts.

During a conference on the sidelines of the Arab League's meeting, the Qatari Prime Minister after being asked about the lack of interest in the events in Bahrain said that "true words are being used to cover ill intentions" and claimed that there were only 3 or 4 deaths in Bahrain. He also commended the formation of the fact-finding committee and the Bahraini King's Responsiveness to the report. He also defended again the entrance of the Peninsula Shield troops to Bahrain and said it had not repressed the people.

In November 2011, Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani said in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper that "the issue in Bahrain will only be resolved by dialogue between the two sides and when each side compromises." He also said he was upset at the fact that the dialogue between the Crown Prince Bahrain and the opposition did not continue. "Neither the opposition nor the government can implement everything they want, because Bahrain is a special case, and their society includes two factions or two sects. This is a sensitive subject and the stability of Bahrain is not only a sensitive issue to Bahrain, but also to the region as a whole," he added, noting that GCC States are not immune to revolutions.

Arabic Version