Secretary-General Welcomes Announced Lifting of State of National

 

Safety in Bahrain, Call Made to Begin National Dialogue

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of the lifting of the state of national safety in Bahrain today, as well as the call made by King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa for a national dialogue to begin on 1 July.

The Secretary-General hopes that such a dialogue will be genuine and meaningful and lead to an inclusive reform process aimed at meeting the political, economic and social aspirations of all Bahraini people.  In this regard, he appeals to all national stakeholders to work constructively towards creating a conducive environment for such a dialogue to take place.

The Secretary-General also reiterates his call on the Bahraini authorities and the security forces in Bahrain to act in accordance with relevant international norms and standards with regard to human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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For information media • not an official record