UK rewarded by naval base in Bahrain for ignoring Manama crackdown: Ex-lawmaker

Press TV has interviewed Jalal Fairooz, a former Bahraini lawmaker from London, to get his take on a decision by the Manama regime to allow the UK to reopen a naval base in Bahrain.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Do you think this base deal is a reward for the UK’s silence in the face of the Al Khalifa regime’s blatant human rights violations against the Shia majority in the country?

Fairooz: The mainstream media here in the UK have said that this naval base is a reward for the silence of the UK against the brutal regime of Bahrain. Three things were very noticeable today in Hammond’s speech: first of all, he said a return to east of Suez Canal, that means after around 55 years, now they are going back to east of Suez Canal.

The second thing, he said that we will have two aircraft carriers present permanently in the Persian Gulf for the stability of this area and that, of course, was against what actually will happen, because the presence will be cause of hostility, especially between the already hostile places like the [Persian] Gulf area.

And thirdly, for the first time the British foreign minister said to the region as “the Gulf,” not the Persian Gulf, against what exactly is usually being called by the British media.

Press TV: How do you think the construction of this base as well as the presence of the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy in Bahrain contradict the United States and the UK’s claims that they’re actually supportive of democracies and civil rights in countries such as Libya and Syria, while in fact they are in complete alliance with absolute monarchies in Saudi Arabia, in Qatar and in Bahrain?

Fairooz: That’s correct. The main supporters of the terrorists in Syria are Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and, of course, on the second ground would be Bahrain. It is very obvious how the money is pouring from these Persian Gulf states into Syria for these terrorists, but the UK will overlook all of these.

That’s exactly what Human Rights Watch stated several months ago that it is against the virtual and the real ethics of the British that the UK will support the dictatorships. The presence of the naval base means that there will be some forces to back Al Khalifa regime against the uprising, which is going on in Bahrain.

And having to know that these days there have been lots of arrests and atrocities against the people, especially the majority of people of Bahrain were celebrating Ashura and the regime was against all these. And these guests like Fillip Hammond was there and to keep mum about these atrocities and human rights violations.

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