US concern grows over Bahrain, a key Gulf ally

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expressed deep concern on Thursday over unrest in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and a strategic ally on oil supply lines from the Gulf. As anti-government protests roil the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa after police attacked demonstrators in the tiny Gulf kingdom's worst violence in decades.Clinton, who visited Bahrain in December, told al-Khalifa she had "deep concern about recent events and urged restraint," a senior State Department official said."They discussed political and economic reform efforts to respond to the citizens of Bahrain," the official said.The turmoil in Bahrain presents Washington with a dilemma, not least because the island nation has long been the base of the U.S. Fifth Fleet responsible for operations in the Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the east coast of Africa.It also is a neighbor of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, and looks across the Gulf to Iran, which Western governments suspect of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

"Fifth Fleet responsible for operations in the Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the east coast of Africa.It also is a neighbor of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, and looks across the Gulf to Iran, which Western governments suspect of seeking to develop nuclear weapons"Iran denies this, saying its program is solely to generate power.The Bahrain unrest follows protests that toppled U.S.-allied governments in Tunisia and Egypt. The prospect of greater regional instability could shake U.S. plans to boost defense cooperation around the Gulf to head off any threat from Iran."Bahrain is an important partner and the department is closely watching developments there," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said, adding all sides in Bahrain should exercise restraint.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke by telephone on Thursday about the security situation in Bahrain with Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the Pentagon said, without providing any details.GLASS HALF-FULL?Bahrain, a non-OPEC oil producer, has a Shi'ite Muslim majority population but is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa dynasty which critics say has failed to deliver on promises to allow more democratic rights and economic opportunity.Bahrain's Shi'ite opposition has denied being influenced by Iran's Shi'ite-led government.President Barack Obama and Clinton have called on authoritarian governments in the Arab world to pay more heed to their citizens' complaints.But they have also been careful not to back protests too explicitly out of concern that changes could undermine U.S. interests across the oil-producing region or pose new threats to Israel, Washington's chief ally in the Middle East.The State Department, in a statement on Tuesday after the first violence in Bahrain, tried to strike a balance by offering condolences for people killed but welcoming Bahrain's pledge to take action against any "unjustified use of force" by security personnel.

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