Bahrain for good relations with Iran

The ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad Bin Issa al-Khaleifa, has asserted the importance of closeness between the Gulf Cooperation Council member states in order to strengthen the council and back it. He asserted that his country is in support of any formula that provides for strengthening such closeness.

AFP, on the other hand quoted Sheikh Hamad as saying in a press statement quoted by the two Bahraini dailies, Akhbar al-Youm and al-Ayam, that, "Iran is a neighborly country and there is no way but to develop relations with it forward."

On the internal level, Sheikh Hamad underlined the importance of national unity and internal solidarity. He said that citizens are equal before the law, with no exception, and that the only criterion is commitment to the homeland.