WASHINGTON Ñ The United States has moved to reaffirm its support for
Bahrain amid a sharp rise in Shi'ite unrest.
U.S. officials said President George Bush and senior members of his
administration have contacted Bahraini leaders to discuss ways to bolster
the relationship between Manama and Washington. The officials said the U.S.
move was meant to signal its determination to support Bahrain amid the
increase in anti-American sentiment in the kingdom.
On Thursday, Bush spoke by telephone with Bahrain's King Hamad. The two
men discussed bilateral relations as well as the rising tension in the
Middle East.
"The president also expressed his deep appreciation for the strong
relationship between the United States and Bahrain, and for Bahrain's
support for efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East," White House
spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Fleischer said Bush is concerned over the rising unrest within pro-U.S.
regimes in the Middle East. The spokesman said the visits by U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell to such countries as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi
Arabia reflected the administration's concern.
"The president does have concerns about the impact of the violence on
our friends in the region," Fleischer said. "And that is an important part
of what is going on. And that's why the secretary had meetings with
President Mubarak of Egypt, with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, with the
king of Morocco."
The U.S. military has been on alert in Bahrain and other countries for
the prospect of attacks. In Manama, thousands of Bahrainis held two violent
anti-American demonstrations in less than a week.
Gen. Tommy Franks, chief of U.S. Central Command, said the United States
has maintained solid military relationships with Persian Gulf states despite
rising Middle East violence. Franks, responsible for the U.S. military in
the Gulf and much of the Middle East, said Gulf Cooperation Council states
have representatives in the headquarters of the Central Command in Tampa,
Fla.
"We find the security relationships to be robust and capable," Franks
told a briefing on Thursday. "The number of representatives that I see at my
headquarters at Coalition Village has continued to grow
since 9-11. We have not seen the departure of a single one of those
countries."
