Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's Justice Minister Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa said Tuesday (February 7, 2016) that the government will not sit for dialogue with anyone who dubs killers "martyrs".

During an intervention in a Council of Representatives session, Al Khalifa said, that "the ministry is ongoing with its counseling and dialogue with political societies", indicating that "it will not engage in dialogue with a criminal, and it will not engage in dialogue with those who dub killers martyrs."

"We will engage in dialogue with those who want dialogue. We remained silent in the past years in the face of those who partitioned the country into two camps, and the people into two streets. We remained silent in the face of exploiting the places of worship, and the result was as you saw. Therefore, today, we will carry on our measures to maintain security, stability, and national unity", we went on to say.

The Bahraini government has been refusing to open doors for dialogue with opposition societies, which it accuses of supporting violence. The authorities had arrested Al-Wefaq Society's Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman, before it dissolved the society.

Commenting on the Minister's remarks, prominent opposition figure, Ibrahim Sharif, said on his "Twitter" account, "Is there anyone left for you to engage in dialogue with Your Excellency? Those worthy of dialogue are either in prison, exile, or await their turn, and the alternatives are worthless."

Arabic Version