After the two ministers sat with the king, it was decided that Hamad bin Jassim would make a phone call, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, to the Secretary-General of the Al-Wefaq Society, Sheikh Ali Salman, and this indeed took place. It was a public and completely open call, and made with the permission of the Manama authorities. This was later confirmed by Hamad bin Jassim during a television interview.