Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Bahrain has appealed to Congress to release U.S.
weapons approved for the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom.

The Bahraini embassy has relayed a letter to the House and Senate
leaderships that addresses congressional concerns over Manama’s human rights
policy. The embassy warned that Bahrain and Saudi Arabia face regional
threats, presumed to stem from Iran.

“The arms and technology in question would be dedicated to safeguarding Bahrain from external threats,” the embassy said on Nov. 22. “This arms sale, like others before, will go to maintain security in the Arabian Gulf for the U.S. and its regional allies.”

The letter, sent to the foreign affairs and appropriations committees in Congress, was meant to counter a resolution that would restrict U.S. weapons to Bahrain. The resolution was meant to impose conditions on a proposed $53 million missile and combat vehicle sale to Manama.

The embassy said the Shi’ite revolt in Bahrain — in which 35 people were killed — has been misunderstood by Congress. The congressional committees were told of attacks on officials, security officers and foreign workers during the violence earlier this year.

“Evidence suggests that these radical elements were inflamed by foreign
actors seeking to undermine Bahrain’s sovereignty,” the letter said. “As
evidenced by the recent plot against the Saudi ambassador to Washington,
this foreign threat is very credible for the United States and its regional
allies.”

The letter said Bahrain would honor the recommendations of a commission
of inquiry into the Shi’ite revolt. The 501-page report, released on Nov.
23, asserted that Bahrain’s security forces employed excessive force and
that the opposition could not be linked to Iran.

“Given that most of the claims made by the GoB [government of Bahrain]
related to allegations of intelligence operations undertaken by Iranian
operatives, sources of which, by their nature, are not publicly available,
the commission has not been able to investigate or independently verify
these allegations of Iranian involvement in the events of February and March
2011,” the commission report said.

Bahrain has hosted the U.S. Fifth Fleet for about 40 years. The letter
said any critical joint resolution in Congress would harm the alliance
between Manama and Washington.

“The Arabian Gulf needs a credible defense against clear and ongoing
external threats and Bahrain is proud to partner with the United States in
safeguarding regional security,” the embassy letter said.

  Arabian Gulf, Bahrain cites ‘external threats’ in answering Congress on crackdown, Gulf Cooperation Council, Manama, U.S. Congress, U.S. Fifth Fleet