Britain welcomes lifting of state of emergency in Bahrain

LONDON, June 2 (KUNA) -- British Foreign Office Minister, Alistair Burt has said the UK welcomes the "King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's announcement of a National Dialogue and the lifting of the State of National Safety". In a brief statement issued early Thursday, the minister responsible for the Mideast said: "It's now critical that there is concrete change and genuine political reform, the only way to ensuring long term stability". However, Burt said: "We remain deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses, including the recent arrests of protestors and medical staff and the nature of the charges brought against them".
The UK continues strongly to urge the Government of Bahrain to meet all its human rights obligations and uphold political freedoms, equal access to justice and the rule of law, the statement concluded. (end) he.rk KUNA 020911 Jun 11NNNN