Key Shi'ite opposition leader returns to Bahrain

Manama: A prominent Bahraini opposition leader returned home from exile on Saturday and urged the Gulf kingdom's rulers to back up promises of political reform with action.

The return of Hassan Mushaima, a senior Shi'ite figure, could mark a new phase for an anti-government movement in the tiny nation which is strategically important for the US because it hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

Mushaima heads a Shi'ite group known as Haq, which is considered more hard-line than the main Shi'ite political bloc that has led two weeks of protests. Mushaima returned on Saturday from several months of voluntary exile in London, with a stop in Lebanon.

Mushaima was embraced and kissed by a small group of supporters as he emerged from Bahrain's airport. He called on the government to be more responsive to protesters' demands for far-reaching political reforms.

"Dialogue... is not enough. Promising is not enough. We have to see something on the ground," he told reporters.

Bahrain's rulers "have promised before but they did not do anything for the nation of Bahrain."

The Bahraini opposition currently appears divided over whether to demand an end to the Sunni monarchy or offer it a chance to remain in exchange for handing powers to the elected parliament.

Mushaima did not call directly for the removal of the monarchy, but insisted any changes should grant more power to the people. Asked if he hoped to lead the protest movement, he said: "I'm always saying to the people, 'I'm your servant.'"

Daily anti-government protests in Bahrain erupted two weeks ago, as part of a wave of political unrest that is spreading across the Arab world. The movement in Bahrain is led by Shiites who account for about 70 per cent of the country's 525,000 people, but have long complained of systematic discrimination and other abuses by the Sunni dynasty that has ruled for more than two centuries.

On Saturday thousands of protesters marched from the capital's landmark Pearl Square to the prime minister's office, calling for him to resign. The crowds surrounded the building on three sides and a few police deployed nearby did nothing to intervene.