Page 65 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

Disturbances and strikes, 1953-1954 51

with the Political Agent were more reasonable than

thoso proffered by the delegation, ttjey asked mainly
for reform of the Courts and of the police, the
introduction of a written law, applied to everyone
in Bahrain, put forward for consideration the case
for setting up a Majlis of Shia and Sunni representatives

to act as a sort of Court of Equity to the Ruler, They
felt that it might be possible to exclude trouble­
makers, and that the chief value of such a Majlis
would be in its psychological effect, but admitted
that it might be disowned by the more extreme elements,
8, On the morning of July 3 the Political Agent

had anpther meeting with the Ruler, The latter was
anxious, in view of the crop of rumours current that
the Agency was encouraging the Shia against the
Government that some sort of public announcement of
Her Majesty's Government's support for the Bahrain
Government could be published by us. Accordingly .the

British Broadcasting Corporation broadcast on its
Arabic^of July 5 a statement giving the news of the
disturbances, stressing the longstanding friendship
between Her Majesty's Government and the Bahrain
Government and announcing Her Majesty's Government's
confidence that the Bahrain Government would take the

measure*necessary for restoring peace between the
communities. (On July 8 they broadcast another
statement stressing the Ruler's responsibility for
internal affairs in Bahrain,) During this meeting
with the Ruler, the Political Agent had a frank
/discussion