Morocco's referendum on reform: Model for Arab Spring? (The Christian Science Monitor)

Rabat, Morocco – Moroccans voted Friday in a referendum on constitutional reforms, amid deep disagreement over whether it represented a new path for reform in a troubled region or another autocrat's hollow bid to diffuse popular discontent.

"I voted yes because this new constitution introduces good changes in the society, without the use of violence," said Marwan Akroum, a company manager who had just emerged from a polling station in the popular Rabat neighborhood of Yacoub Mansour. "I believe this reform is a unique model in the Muslim Arab world."

The proposed changes give more executive power to the prime minister, strengthen the judiciary, stress the importance of gender equality, and recognize Berber as a national language. Yet, critics point out, the changes fall far short of transforming Morocco into a European-style constitutional monarchy, as the opposition wanted.

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"This reform is partial," says Elabadila Chbihna, one of the coordinators of the February 20 protest movement, which boycotted the referendum. "We are not at the vegetable market, negotiating prices. The king cannot propose an 80 percent democracy."

With the new constitution, King Mohammed VI – whose family has reigned for three centuries – looses his "sacred" status. Yet he remains the Amir al Mu'minin, the Commander of the Faithful, thus maintaining power over the religious establishment. He also retains control over the defense and security forces. He can still impose emergency laws. While the prime minister can appoint all ministers, the king has veto power on those appointments and all new laws need to be confirmed by him.

"The power remains concentrated in the hands of the monarch," says Othmane Baqa, member of the Conference democratique du Travail, a workers' union with the February 20 movement. He supported the boycott, he said, because the king did not take into consideration proposals submitted by the opposition.

"The reforms were imposed by the monarchy, there was not a constitutional assembly composed by members of the civil society," he said, sitting in the headquarters of the union in central Rabat.

Praise for king's 'clear commitment to democracy'King Mohammed VI announced the reforms, meant to curb the power of the 300-year-old dynasty, in an historic March 9 speech as protests were sweeping his country and the broader Arab world.

Some see the proposed reforms as opening a new chapter of the Arab Spring in which the regime, with no bullets or teargas, introduces changes itself.

The European Union said the reform initiative "signals a clear commitment to democracy." Prominent Western analysts have hailed the changes as a new beginning.

"What's so important about what the Moroccan king has done is that he is forging a different model of change in the Arab world," wrote Kenneth M. Pollack recently for the Washington-based Brookings Institution, where he is the director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy.

Mohammed Ziane, the founder of the Moroccan Liberal Party, supported the reforms with enthusiasm, linking the changes in Morocco with regional events. "This is a beginning," he says on the phone from Casablanca. "Moroccans and the populations of the region finally started thinking about democracy, asking to have more control on their governments."

Why some opposition leaders boycotted the voteBut some opposition leaders were not impressed by the proposed changes, and urged the population to boycott Friday's vote.

Those calling for a boycott came together under the umbrella of the February 20 movement - named for the day of the first anti-regime demonstration.

Similar to the loose-knit coalitions that have led protests in other Arab countries, the movement is made up of young Moroccans, bloggers, Internet activists, small labor unions, some ultra-leftist groups and the Justice and Spirituality Organization, an illegal but tolerated Islamist movement. It has been campaigning against the referendum and organizing protests.

The efforts of the opposition parties were out-muscled though by the campaign for a "yes" vote, which were more organized and widespread.

In every Rabat neighborhood, big posters urged voters to go to the polls; in popular markets banners declared shopkeepers' support for the king; imams in the mosques last Friday urged devotees to go to the polls and the king's smiling face was on the front page of every national magazine. Opposition activists claimed that local and regional associations, under pressure from the government, shuttled people by bus to attend pro-referendum demonstrations in many cities.

There is little doubt in Morocco about the outcome of the referendum: most analysts expect a resounding "yes," thanks at least partly to the monarch's long history of coopting political rivals into alliances with the regime.

So the success of the king's move will be measured not by the result but by voter turnout. The national press agency, MAP, said on Friday afternoon that 60 percent of 13 million registered voters cast ballots, a percentage difficult to confirm independently.

Implementation will be keyThe real challenge for king Mohammed VI starts with the closing of the ballot stations.

"This constitution has potential, it strips the king of a lot of power," said Maati Monjib, a professor of politcal history at Rabat University. "The changes introduced in 1996 in a previous constitutional referendum were never implemented. The future of the reform depends now on the pressure the street can still exert."

The opposition of February 20 has announced it will hold demonstrations every Sunday in the main Moroccan cities.

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Can fresh Morocco protests build momentum for reform? (The Christian Science Monitor)

Fes, Morocco – Morocco's pro-democracy activists launched fresh protests Sunday, despite King Mohammed VI's Friday speech announcing a draft constitution that would limit the powers of his country’s centuries-old monarchy.

“We are sticking to our demands,” says Elabadila Maaelaynine, who joined thousands of other protesters in Casablanca to reject the king’s proposals, which they say don't go nearly far enough.

Rival protesters supporting the king – some genuine, others reportedly pushed by local authorities to speak in his favor – also took to the streets, and the pro-democracy demonstrators had to change their location after they were “attacked” with bottles and sticks by pro-king demonstrators, says Mr. Maaelaynine.

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Despite a groundswell of support for democratic reform, however, many Moroccans are satisfied at the pace of change in the kingdom and want to avoid the type of tumultuous "Arab Spring" revolutions they've seen in fellow North African countries, such as Tunisia and Egypt.

“Imagine if the king suddenly says that he is going away … there will be chaos,” says Mohammed Montasir, a journalist in the northern city of Fes, adding that Moroccans are not seeking a revolution but a “movement against privileges” of the ruling elite.

How much reform is enough?For four months now, activists have campaigned for the king to transfer powers to elected representatives and reign only as a symbolic head.

In Friday's speech, he announced the constitutional reforms he had promised in March after the first bout of protests.

The most significant proposed change is the boost in the executive powers of the prime minister and the parliament. For instance, the prime minister would appoint and remove ministers as well as dissolve the lower house of parliament in consultation with the king.

The king, however, is not divorced from executive power. The king would choose the prime minister from the party that wins the elections and he could also dissolve the parliament in consultations with the prime minister and members of the new constitutional court, half of whom he would appoint.

The continued presence of the king in the executive branch ignores the key protester demand of separation of powers. He also remains the military and religious head of the country.

While the king is offering a constitutional monarchy, the demand is for a parliamentary monarchy like the United Kingdom. For the activists, the king’s reforms are piecemeal and if they compromise now then the momentum they have generated for comprehensive change will be lost.

They also suspect that the king is trying to rush a referendum on proposed reforms a€“ he set the vote for July 1 a€“ before mass resistance can be mobilized.

The activists push backThe pro-democracy movement – called February 20 (after the first day of widespread protests in Morocco) – is made up of the web-savvy youth, left-leaning parties, and Islamists.

Peaceful rallies have attracted tens of thousands of people. A few of these demonstrations have been violently dispersed by government forces but not as brutally as protests in much of the Arab world.

Athman Hajhamou and Maniar Othmane are engineering students and activists in Fes. They argue that those who support the king do so because theya€™ve never known any other alternative. The current dynasty has ruled for more than 350 years.

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Unlike his father, the 47-year-old king remains popular for improving women’s rights and ordering a probe into tortures committed by the state during his father’s reign. More recently, Morocco has been accused of torturing Islamist figures suspected of terrorism after suicide bomb attacks killed 45 people in Casablanca on one day in 2003.

“You elect your leaders, you support them, and you can reject them,” says Mr. Othmane. “You don’t have to love your ruler; you love your country.”

Will the movement lose steam?Some observers predict that the movement will lose steam. Unlike the regimes of other Arab countries, the monarchy in Morocco has a certain legitimacy that can’t be dismissed, analysts say.

“The February 20 movement is finished now, because the king has answered the people’s movement,” says Jawad Kerdoudi, head of the Moroccan Institute of International Relations, speaking by phone from Casablanca.

February 20 has more than 60,000 followers on Facebook and they are calling on people to study the draft of the constitution, but 44 percent of Moroccans are illiterate. Activists are concerned they may be "duped" by the king's speech.

“Change depends on the strength of the movement," says Athman, "its ability to mobilize, to protest on the streets, to keeps its peaceful nature, and for democratic forces to remain united.”

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Spaniards protest for economic reform

Madrid (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of protesters converged on central Madrid Sunday as the so-called May 15 movement pushing for political and social change in Spain again took to the streets.

Madrid's was the first major demonstration of the day and drew some 37,000 people, Spain's state-run news agency reported, citing a consulting firm it hired to estimate the size of the crowd.

Protests were planned in 55 other Spanish cities later in the day and had gotten underway in Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and other cities, Spanish media reported.

The protests focused again on Spain's 21% unemployment rate and on the government's economic austerity measures. But on Sunday, they also rallied against European Union efforts to stabilize the euro, with many protesters worried that could lead to more austerity measures across the EU.

The movement takes its name from the opening round of large protests on May 15 of this year. On Sunday, it unveiled a new tactic in Madrid, when six columns of marchers started in the north, south, east and west of the capital. They walked noisily through neighborhoods, carrying banners and shouting slogans and quickly adding more protesters in a steady march to the Neptune plaza near the parliament building.

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A throng of riot police stood by to protect the national parliament, days after violent scuffles occurred between demonstrators and police outside the Catalonia regional parliament in Barcelona last week.

"This capitalistic system doesn't work. It's an unfair system and a lot of people are in a very bad situation, without money," said Eva Fernandez, a social worker who was marching with the "northern" column down Madrid's main boulevard, la Castellana, on Sunday.

Protesters on June 12 dismantled a sprawling tent camp in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol plaza, nearly a month after it sparked large nationwide demonstrations and similar encampments in other cities to demand changes in Spain's political and economic system.

"The main thing we've achieved so far is to gain legitimacy to be able to protest and demonstrate in the streets," said Josua Serrano, a communications worker also marching in the "northern" column. "This civil disobedience is being practiced in a lot of countries now through nonviolent direct action. So people are going to the street without fear."

Before May 15, a series of citizens groups across Spain used social media networks like Facebook to call for protests on May 15. The large response seemed to surprise even the organizers, as tens of thousands of people turned out in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities.

The crowds have been dominated by young people, but also included retirees and families with young children. Demonstrators had a long and varied list of demands, but an underlying current was a call for change in Spain's political and economic system, to make it -- according to the protesters -- more democratic.

The movement gained force, with daily demonstrations involving thousands of people nationwide, in the run-up to May 22 municipal and regional elections. The conservative Popular Party was the big winner in that vote and now is poised, many analysts say, to win national parliamentary elections over the ruling Socialists. Those elections are expected no later than next March.

But the protesters have said repeatedly that neither of the two main parties represents their interests. Several protesters told CNN they voted for smaller parties which are farther left than the Socialists.

The protests of the May 15 movement have been largely peaceful, with police standing by. But there were scuffles, arrests and minor injuries at various flash points, including in Barcelona last week.

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Thousands rally for reform in Bahrain (Reuters)

MANAMA (Reuters) – Thousands of Bahrainis shouting "we are victorious" gathered for a rally for political reform on Saturday, in the first large demonstration since the Gulf Arab state crushed a democracy protest movement in March.

Bahrain brought in troops from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in March and introduced martial law, which ended last week, to stop the protests against the Sunni Al-Khalifa family that rules over a Shi'ite majority population.

The government said the protests had a sectarian agenda and help from Shi'ite power Iran, just across the Gulf waters. The opposition denies this.

"Some try to manipulate our demands, to make them Shi'ite demands. This is not true. We are not calling for an Iran, but to build up our political reforms together, Shi'ite and Sunni, which will benefit all Bahrainis," said Sheikh Ali Salman, head of the Wefaq opposition group which organized the event.

"We will continue peacefully and we will continue our peaceful demonstrations," he said, as the crowd roared back: "Peaceful, peaceful!"

The rally will likely be seen as a show of strength by Wefaq, Bahrain's leading Shi'ite opposition group, as it heads to a national dialogue called by the king for next month.

"Wefaq wants to encourage people to get back out after months of fear. It's a good sign ," said protester Fatima.

The government said it granted permission for the rally, held in a large square in the Shi'ite district of Saar, west of the capital and away from central Pearl Roundabout, epicenter of the earlier protests inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Protesters waving Bahraini flags spilled out into the streets and dozens watched from nearby rooftops.

People drove in from around the city, causing traffic jams of more than 2 km long. State helicopters buzzed over crowds raising signs that read "The nation is for everyone."

Opposition figures more than 10,000 people attended the rally. The Interior Ministry said 4,000 people were gathered.

NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Barbed wire and armored vehicles guard Pearl Roundabout in Manama, where protesters camped out for about six weeks, to prevent it from becoming a focal point for protests again.

But protesters in Saar described a new sense of optimism.

"I think the crowd speaks for itself," said Fadel, carrying his small son, wrapped in a Bahraini flag. "Hopefully, this will be the next Pearl Roundabout."

King Hamad bin Isa has offered a new dialogue with opposition groups starting in July. Wefaq said it would organize more rallies until then, and may plan a march for next week.

"The dialogue should offer real political solutions, it should not be cosmetic talk. We are serious about this dialogue," Salman said in his 30-minute speech.

"They say the Shi'ites want a special government for themselves. No, we want a civilian state and an elected government for all... This is what we demanded in Pearl Roundabout and it is what we will again call for here."

Wefaq organizers quietened those in the crowd who tried to chant "Down with the government," frustrating some protesters.

"I think the people want the fall of this regime. After the repression and the killings, how can we go back?" said protester Amal, swathed in a black veil.

The government appointed its parliament speaker on Saturday to lead the national dialogue, the state news agency said, but the opposition said Crown Prince Salman -- seen as leader of a moderate wing of the ruling family -- should head the talks.

Khalifa al-Dhahrani, speaker of the Council of Representatives, said he hoped to bring "all parties concerned with matters of the state" into the dialogue.

Wefaq's Khalil al-Marzooq said Dhahrani was opposed to many of the opposition's core demands.

"He has previously objected to discussing reforms over elections, constitutional amendments and the issue of discrimination," he said. "Genuine dialogue must be with the prince or the king because we need to discuss the central issues which are between the people and the ruling family."

Bahrain's cabinet is dominated by the ruling family and the king also appoints all members of an upper assembly, minimizing the powers of the elected parliament.

At the rally, Shi'ites said they broke a barrier of fear after over two months of military rule, when hundreds were detained or dismissed from their jobs and dozens were put on trial on charges from incitement to trying to overthrow the system.

"This needed to happen. The government thought they could suppress everything with the state of emergency. It seems they did not," one protester said.

(Reporting by Erika Solomon, writing by Andrew Hammond and Erika Solomon, editing by Alison Williams)

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Thousands rally for reform in Bahrain (Reuters)

MANAMA (Reuters) – Thousands of Bahrainis shouting "we are victorious" gathered for a rally for political reform on Saturday, in the first large demonstration since the Gulf Arab state crushed a democracy protest movement in March.

Bahrain brought in troops from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in March and introduced martial law, which ended last week, to stop the protests against the Sunni Al-Khalifa family that rules over a Shi'ite majority population.

The government said the protests had a sectarian agenda and help from Shi'ite power Iran, just across the Gulf waters. The opposition denies this.

"Some try to manipulate our demands, to make them Shi'ite demands. This is not true. We are not calling for an Iran, but to build up our political reforms together, Shi'ite and Sunni, which will benefit all Bahrainis," said Sheikh Ali Salman, head of the Wefaq opposition group which organized the event.

"We will continue peacefully and we will continue our peaceful demonstrations," he said, as the crowd roared back: "Peaceful, peaceful!"

The rally will likely be seen as a show of strength by Wefaq, Bahrain's leading Shi'ite opposition group, as it heads to a national dialogue called by the king for next month.

"Wefaq wants to encourage people to get back out after months of fear. It's a good sign ," said protester Fatima.

The government said it granted permission for the rally, held in a large square in the Shi'ite district of Saar, west of the capital and away from central Pearl Roundabout, epicenter of the earlier protests inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Protesters waving Bahraini flags spilled out into the streets and dozens watched from nearby rooftops.

People drove in from around the city, causing traffic jams of more than 2 km long. State helicopters buzzed over crowds raising signs that read "The nation is for everyone."

Opposition figures more than 10,000 people attended the rally. The Interior Ministry said 4,000 people were gathered.

NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Barbed wire and armored vehicles guard Pearl Roundabout in Manama, where protesters camped out for about six weeks, to prevent it from becoming a focal point for protests again.

But protesters in Saar described a new sense of optimism.

"I think the crowd speaks for itself," said Fadel, carrying his small son, wrapped in a Bahraini flag. "Hopefully, this will be the next Pearl Roundabout."

King Hamad bin Isa has offered a new dialogue with opposition groups starting in July. Wefaq said it would organize more rallies until then, and may plan a march for next week.

"The dialogue should offer real political solutions, it should not be cosmetic talk. We are serious about this dialogue," Salman said in his 30-minute speech.

"They say the Shi'ites want a special government for themselves. No, we want a civilian state and an elected government for all... This is what we demanded in Pearl Roundabout and it is what we will again call for here."

Wefaq organizers quietened those in the crowd who tried to chant "Down with the government," frustrating some protesters.

"I think the people want the fall of this regime. After the repression and the killings, how can we go back?" said protester Amal, swathed in a black veil.

The government appointed its parliament speaker on Saturday to lead the national dialogue, the state news agency said, but the opposition said Crown Prince Salman -- seen as leader of a moderate wing of the ruling family -- should head the talks.

Khalifa al-Dhahrani, speaker of the Council of Representatives, said he hoped to bring "all parties concerned with matters of the state" into the dialogue.

Wefaq's Khalil al-Marzooq said Dhahrani was opposed to many of the opposition's core demands.

"He has previously objected to discussing reforms over elections, constitutional amendments and the issue of discrimination," he said. "Genuine dialogue must be with the prince or the king because we need to discuss the central issues which are between the people and the ruling family."

Bahrain's cabinet is dominated by the ruling family and the king also appoints all members of an upper assembly, minimizing the powers of the elected parliament.

At the rally, Shi'ites said they broke a barrier of fear after over two months of military rule, when hundreds were detained or dismissed from their jobs and dozens were put on trial on charges from incitement to trying to overthrow the system.

"This needed to happen. The government thought they could suppress everything with the state of emergency. It seems they did not," one protester said.

(Reporting by Erika Solomon, writing by Andrew Hammond and Erika Solomon, editing by Alison Williams)

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Thousands turn out for Bahrain reform

Thousands of opposition supporters rally in the Bahraini capital of Manama on Saturday.The government lifted emergency laws last weekThe ruling Sunni royal family accuses Iran of backing the protestsShiites are a majority in the Persian Gulf state

Manama, Bahrain (CNN) -- Thousands of Bahrainis protested their government Saturday in a rally organized by the main opposition party.

Unafraid, pro-reform demonstrators hit the streets with their faces uncovered, said a journalist at the scene who was not identified for security reasons.

It was the second such protest since the government last week lifted emergency laws that were imposed in mid-March, allowing a crackdown on political leaders and journalists.

Sunday, attention will focus on the case of a 20-year-old poet who was arrested for writing and then reading her anti-government work at earlier demonstrations. She is expected to appear in military court Sunday.

Bahrain's ruling royal family -- Sunnis in a majority-Shiite nation -- accuses protesters of being motivated by sectarian differences and supported by Iran.

Ali Salman, the secretary general of al Wefaq, Bahrain's principal opposition party, dismissed those claims Saturday.

He told the large crowds that he supports the government's offer of dialogue but said he could not endorse it fully until the conditions for such talks were clear.

Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa pledged cooperation from the government "to reach national consensus so as to ensure a better future for the kingdom," the state-run Bahrain News Agency said.

Crown Prince Salman, who met with U.S. officials in Washington Wednesday, thanked President Barack Obama for his backing of a national dialogue in Bahrain.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, and the United States has been concerned about the instabilityin the Persian Gulf island state.

CNN's Nic Robertson contributed to this report.

CNN

25 killed Iraq on reform deadline

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has set a Monday deadline for Cabinet ministers to make reforms or be fired.NEW: Baghdad resident "Bad feeling" preceded 100-day reform deadlineAt least 25 people have died in attacks across Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi officials confirmThe deadliest attack was in Tikrit, where at least 11 people died, Interior Ministry officials saidThe attacks coincide with a deadline for government officials to make reforms

Baghdad (CNN) -- At least 25 people, including five U.S. soldiers, have died in a series of explosions across Iraq on Monday, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

The deadliest attack Monday was in Tikrit, where a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a security checkpoint staffed by Iraqi army and police, killing 11 people and wounding 17 others, according to Interior Ministry officials who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Most of the casualties were Iraqi security forces, Interior Ministry officials told CNN.

The attack occurred at the gates of a fortified compound housing a mosque and several palaces that once belonged to Saddam Hussein. On Friday, attacks at the compound's mosque and at a Tikrit hospital killed 23 people and wounded 60.

Tikrit was Hussein's hometown and is the capital of the mainly Sunni Arab Salaheddin province.

The U.S. soldiers died in an attack on Foward Operating Base Loyalty in Baghdad. Interior Ministry officials said the soldiers who died were sleeping in their trailers when the attack occurred.

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The attacks coincide with the deadline set by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for cabinet ministers to make reforms or be fired in the wake of deadly February demonstrations over corruption, poor government services and a lack of personal freedoms.

"Yesterday, I was listening to the news about the 100-day deadline and I had a bad feeling about it, and today we've been hearing the sounds of explosions since this morning," said Ahmed Mousa, whose mother and sister were wounded when a car bomb exploded outside his home in the Palestine commercial district of eastern Baghdad. The explosion killed one person and wounded 10 others.

"We don't know who's behind these attacks but we blame our government, because it's their job to protect us" Mousa said.

In other attacks, according to information provided by Interior Ministry officials:

-- Four relatives of an Iraqi police officer died and two others were wounded after insurgents exploded bombs they planted around his home.

-- In Baghdad, two separate roadside bombs exploded in the city, wounding eight people, three of them police officers.

-- In the Adhamiya Sunni neighborhood of northeastern Baghdad, gunmen attacked three separate security checkpoints, killing an Iraqi soldier and three members of a predominantly Sunni movement composed of former insurgents or sympathizers who have turned against al Qaeda.

It is unclear whether the violence has any direct connection to al-Maliki's deadline to cabinet ministers to make reforms or be fired.

Al-Maliki announced the reform campaign on February 27, after an emergency cabinet meeting that followed weeks of demonstrations across the country by protesters angry about unemployment, poor basic services, corruption and a lack of freedom.

Scores of Iraqis were killed and wounded in the protests, which appeared to be inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

The latest violence raise questions over the ability of Iraqi forces to secure the country, with almost all U.S. troops due to withdraw at the end of the year under the terms of a bilateral security pact.

But if violence increases and instability persists, the countries could agree to keep some U.S. troops in Iraq, where about 46,000 U.S. military personnel are currently based. That is down from a high of 170,000 in 2007, during the peak of the sectarian violence the country.

CNN

Can Obama's Middle East Speech Aid Reform in Bahrain? (Time.com)

For weeks, Bahrain's Shi'ite-dominated opposition movement felt it had been suffering in a bubble. The occasional condemnation of the Sunni monarchy's repression would emerge from Washington, but little else. But as the regime began razing more Shi'ite mosques (more than 30 in the past three months), thundering words of support came from the very top of the American government. On Thursday, May 19, Barack Obama took on the rulers of the longtime U.S. ally (which plays host to the Fifth Fleet in the gulf), saying, "The only real way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can't have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail."

Opposition leaders have criticized the U.S. for what they feel is a soft stance on violence perpetrated by the Bahraini government against activists. "Will the U.S. stop turning a blind eye to repression?" officials of the embattled opposition party al-Wefaq asked in a statement released earlier on Thursday. "Will the U.S. be more assertive in telling its friends the time has come to end repression? Will the U.S. encourage allies in the region to respond to genuine reform calls?" (See the new Tehran-Riyadh rivalry.)

Obama's remarks heartened opponents of the regime. "Democracy is democracy, and it has to apply to all countries, even those you consider as an ally or friend," says Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. He and other activists applauded the President's reminder that though Bahrain's government has said it is open to dialogue, it has also arrested most of the key opposition leaders who would act as intermediaries. An al-Wefaq official said he was "pleased" that the President had addressed the ongoing violence and hoped it would pave the way for talks between Shi'ite opposition officials and the ruling Sunni government.

Obama's calls for dialogue could strengthen the position of Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, a reformist who has consistently encouraged talks with antigovernment groups. Al-Khalifa is battling an internal split, with his reformists who call for dialogue losing out to extremists who have backed the vicious crackdowns that have left at least 25 Shi'ite protesters dead and more than 500 missing or in jail. "The Bahrain government's not presenting a united front at present," says Jane Kinninmont, a senior research fellow for the Middle East and North Africa at Chatham House. "It's clear that there are internal divisions. You can see Obama's speech as trying to strengthen the Crown Prince and the reformists in the government against the hard-liners." (See more on Obama's struggle to keep pace with situations in the Middle East.)

For the past few months, Bahrain's government has tried to pass itself off as a reformist party. However, its actions are far from conciliatory toward the opposition. The editor of the chief opposition newspaper, al-Wasat, is due to stand trial in a closed court. Ibrahim Sharif, the president of Bahrain's largest leftist party, has not been seen since a predawn arrest in March.

Meanwhile, Obama's condemnation of the destruction of Shi'ite mosques has left the regime feeling even more isolated. In a statement, Bahrain's Cabinet said it "welcomed" the principles contained in the speech and that the "door for dialogue was open ... and would remain so and hopes that the dialogue witnesses the participation of all to achieve a national consensus through constitutional establishments." Observers believe, however, that the divisions within the Sunni ruling class are likely to harden.

The only comfort the hard-liners in Bahrain can take is that, in his speech, the U.S. President very loudly left one country unmentioned: Saudi Arabia. Saudi troops have been helping Bahrain's security forces crack down on Shi'ite antigovernment activists since mid-March. That may be a way for them to rationalize continued repression.

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3 killed at Syrian protest after Assad vows reform

By Nader Daoud, AP

Syrian protesters call for President Bashar Assad to step down during a protest in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman, Jordan.

EnlargeCloseBy Nader Daoud, AP

Syrian protesters call for President Bashar Assad to step down during a protest in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman, Jordan.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the shooting at the funeral near Homs, 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the capital, Damascus.

In the past four weeks, Syrian security forces in uniforms and plainclothes have launched a deadly crackdown on demonstrations, killing at least 200 people, according to human rights groups. The government has blamed armed gangs looking to stir up unrest for many of the killings.

One witness said gunmen wearing black clothes opened fire at hundreds of people in the Talbiseh district in central Syria at a funeral for a protester who was killed Saturday. Other witnesses said they saw soldiers and security forces open fire, shooting even at homes and balconies. Dozens were wounded, they said.

A human rights activist in Damascus confirmed the three deaths, but said he had no information on who killed them. He confirmed the deaths through witnesses on the ground who saw the killings and gave him the names of the dead.

The witnesses and the activist requested anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government.

Syria

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