Saudi Arabian troops enter Bahrain as regime asks for help to quell uprising
Move which sees soldiers called in to protect strategic sites likely
to inflame tensions between rulers and Shia majority
* Martin Chulov
* guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 March 2011 19.08 GMT
Saudi Arabian troops have crossed into Bahrain after the tiny Gulf
state's rulers asked for help from neighbouring Sunni Arab states to
quell a two-month uprising that threatens their 200-year-old political
dynasty.
Riyadh said it had responded to a "security threat" by deploying its
military in the streets of its tiny near-neighbour. The Saudi troops
have been asked to protect strategic sites, such as bridges and
government buildings. Bahrain's rulers said the Saudi forces had
crossed the 16-mile causeway linking Saudi Arabia with the Arab
world's smallest state as part of a contingent of troops from the Gulf
Co-operation Council.
Saudi authorities did not give details on the size of the force, which
some reports estimate to be about 1,000-strong.
The move is likely to inflame tensions between the regime and
Bahrain's Shia majority, which has laid siege to central Manama since
mid-February and has, in recent days, marched on key government
buildings and palaces.
As news of the Saudi intervention spread throughout Manama, the
landmark Pearl roundabout in the centre of the capital – which has
become a focal point for the protests – and a nearby overpass saw tens
of thousands of demonstrators, many of whom were bracing for fresh
confrontations with troops.
More worrying for many observers than the spectre of new clashes is an
escalation in the standoff between the Gulf states and Iran, which has
strongly backed Bahrain's Shia majority and has long been at odds with
its Gulf neighbours, especially Saudi Arabia.
Iran's foreign minister, Ali Akbar, reacted immediately to the
deployment, urging Bahrain's leaders to use discipline and wisdom in
defusing the steadily deteriorating security situation.
[continued at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/14/saudi-arabian-troops-enter-bahrain
]
--
Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own
way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
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