Bahrain rejects Iran's interference in internal affairs

Bahrain on Sunday stressed its rejection of Iran's interference in its internal affairs on the pretext of caring about the Shiites in the country.

"This is an unacceptable sectarian excuse," Bahrain's Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said at a meeting with a number of clerics, lawmakers and representatives of human rights groups.

"All Bahrainis are equal under the constitution and law," he said, stressing that "we don't have second-class citizens."

"The Shi'ites of Bahrain feel that they are second class only when they are in Iran, especially if they are of Arab roots," Shaikh Rashid added.

He further said that Iran had created "unstable surroundings" to cause rift that will lead to tensions in the community.

He vowed decisive measures against those who received "terrorist training" in Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

To counter such threats, monitoring has been increased for those sailing in regional waters, he pointed out.

"We have also worked to develop criteria to regulate travel to dangerous areas that have armed conflicts, and other rules to regulate the travel of those under 18 years," he said. Endit