Manama: Bahrain's king has offered a national dialogue "with all parties" in a conciliatory move to resolve a crisis that has killed four people and wounded hundreds, rocking the key regional ally of the United States.
More than 60 people were in hospital on Saturday undergoing treatment for wounds sustained when Bahraini security forces fired on protesters as they headed to Pearl Square on Friday.
The shootings occurred on a day of mass mourning when Shi'ites buried the four people killed a day earlier in the police raid on the Pearl Square traffic circle.
In response to protests against his government that have drawn thousands of people on to the streets, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said late on Friday the crown price had been granted "all the powers to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of all gracious citizens from all sections" in the national dialogue.
US President Barack Obama spoke with the king on Friday evening, condemning the violence and urging the government to show restraint. Obama said the stability of Bahrain, home to the US Middle East fleet, depended upon respect for the rights of its people, according to the White House.
The violence has presented the United States with a now familiar dilemma amid unrest elsewhere in the region. It is torn between its desire for stability in a long-standing Arab ally and a need to uphold its own principles about the right of people to demonstrate for democratic change.
"This violence is exactly what the administration and the US want to avoid," said Robert Danin, a Middle East expert at the US-based Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "alarmed" by reports of soldiers firing on protesters. "This is an extremely worrying development," he said in a statement.
The crown prince of the non-OPEC minor oil producer, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, appealed on TV for calm.
"Today is the time to sit down and hold a dialogue, not to fight," he said.
Bahrain's state media appeared to have adopted a softer tone after the conciliatory messages from the king and the crown prince, with TV commentators stressing the need for the Shi'ite and Sunni communities to overcome differences.
The unrest in the regional banking hub has shaken foreign confidence in the economy and investors will be looking for any signs that protesters will take the king's offer seriously.
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