Bahrain Opposition Leader Warns Against Foreign Interference

Cars line up at a checkpoint set up by Gulf Cooperation Council forces deployed in Bahrain.

Bahrain's Shi'ite opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salem today urged Iran to keep out of his country's internal affairs.

Salem also demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops deployed in Bahrain, warning against the kingdom being turned into a "conflict zone" between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

About 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states entered Bahrain two weeks ago on the Sunni monarch's invitation amid antigovernment protests by the majority Shi’a.

Bahrain's government charges that Shi'ite Iran orchestrated the month-long unrest in which more than 20 people were killed.

Iran condemned the foreign military deployment and the crackdown against the protesters.

compiled from agency reports