Bahrain’s government expressed regret on Monday that the country’s largest Shi’ite opposition group Wefaq planned to pull out of a national dialogue, but said political talks would continue with or without the influential group. The Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers launched a national dialogue on July 2 to discuss reforms and address grievances, after a four-month crackdown that began in March and crushed weeks of pro-democracy protests led by the Shi’ite majority. A walkout by the largest opposition group could damage the dialogue’s chances of reaching national consensus as sectarian tensions continue to simmer in kingdom. Protests have erupted almost daily in Shi’ite villages ringing the capital Manama since Bahrain lifted emergency law in June, and tension had been rising as demonstrators increasingly demanded that the opposition quit the talks. The National Dialogue’s spokesman, Isa Abdul Rahman, said Wefaq could rejoin the talks if it changed its mind.
