Sad Saturday

Saturday, March 6, 1999

In the Diwan (council) of His Highness the Prime Minister, the beginning of that day was fairly normal; it was like a day of work that started a little earlier. The employees in the Diwan were used to greet His Highness the Emir of Bahrain, who devotes every Saturday and Monday of every week to spend some time in the Diwan of His Highness the Prime Minister, where he managed the affairs of the country and met with ministers to direct them with his valuable instructions, met senior visitors to the country from the from neighboring and friendly states.

But that day was slightly different from other days The Emir of the State arrived to the divan earlier than the usual date, and half an hour before the arrival of his brother, His Highness the Prime Minister.

As usual, His Highness entered the divan smiling, giving lots of his compassion and kindness to all the staff and officials, who stood upon the arrival of His Highness to greet him. In return, he greets this, flirts with that in a fatherly spirit filled with affection and love for the Bahraini sons and those from neighboring countries.

On the way to his office, His Highness stopped for a while to ask the well-known presenter, the official in the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Media, Abdul Jalil Al Taref, inquiring about him and his brother, the famous heart surgeon Dr. Habib Al Tarif. Then with all humility, His Highness did not forget to ask Abdul Jalil to send compliments of his brother the doctor. That was his habit with all the Bahraini people, whom he knew their names and the names of their family members; as we can see His Highness was very close to citizens, participating in their concerns, grief and celebrations.

His Highness schedule was filled up with talks and interviews on the agenda highness. Therefore, he has taken the initiative and received Mr. William Cohen, the American Defense Secretary, who arrived a few hours ago to Bahrain as part of a tour that included a number of countries in the region.
During this interview, His Highness the Emir of the country had signs of tiredness and fatigue, hence His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, with all his usual diplomacy and compassion for his brother, took the initiative to apologize for the great guest, clarifying that His Highness the Emir of the country was feeling tired and exhausted since yesterday evening. But His Highness insisted on fulfilling the duty of hospitality to the guest of Bahrain, and performing other duties set on todays schedule.
After Minister Cohen expressed his heartfelt thanks for the noble gesture of His Highness the Emir of the country, he asked permission to leave in order to avoid causing more stress for His Highness.

With all compassion and worry, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa advised his brother to cancel the other interviews...However, His Highness Sheikh Isa insisted on meeting the Bahraini Haj Mission, and told his brother Khalifa, as if to assure him this is going to be the last interview and then I will relax.

During the meeting, His Highness the Emir of the country expressed his fatherly emotions towards the members of the Haj mission and all the Bahrainis pilgrims and gave his recommendations to the mission to work to provide all the necessary facilities to the Bahraini pilgrims. May the pious spirit of His Highness allow me point to a matter that he used to keep to himselfThe allocations of all pilgrimage missions for many years was paid from his Highness own money.

At that point his pain was increasing; his body and nerves were in constant ache, but he was hiding this to keep the members of his mission in high morale. However, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa was aware of his brothers deteriorating health. His Highness last words to the Haj Mission: with Gods care", which he repeated three times, were his last duties to his sonssaying goodbye. After the departure of the mission delegation, His Highness rushed to the bathroom in an attempt to hide some of His pains from his brother. The sons of his brother: Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa and Sheikh Salman Bin Khalifa rushed to help himThe first lifted the cloak from the shoulders of his beloved uncle to help him, while the second opened the door of his private office for his uncle. However, his efforts lapsed and he returned from the bathroom to rest on the couch, after calling his son Sheikh Ali asking him to bring the heart doctor.

The final moments.

Here allow me to report my personal testimony of what happened on that same day, as I was one of the eyewitnesses present at the Diwan of His Highness the Prime Minister, which was crowded with a large number of visitors, in addition to the delegation of the Hajj, and a number of guests from other countries; the Diwan being an open home for all the Bahrainis.

In that morning I had arrived at the Diwan to complete certain reviews and dealings, and I was among those who paid tribute to His Highness the Emir of the country upon his arrival, then I saluted His Highness the Prime Minister and took my place among the gathered crowd: visitors, friends and officers. The truth is that there was a relationship of friendship and respect that linked me with the officials in the office of His Highness the Prime Minister since I started preparing for my first book: Khalifa bin Salman the Man and the Birth of a Nation. With these friends and officials I engaged in conversations that ranged from global concerns to local issues, thus, we lose time while waiting for His Highness the Prime Minister to complete his official meetings.

Minutes after eleven oclock, we felt that there was something unusual going on the Diwan...Everyone got out of the office to explore it, but I was not successful in knowing the answer to this question that I kept asking everybody and inquiring with worry and concern. The doors were hiding a major event, and the movement that changed in pace and nature confirmed it. In addition to the faces that look more perplexed and concerned with the passage of the time.

Every one in the Diwan seemed stunned, unwilling to speak ... One question was occupying the minds and hearts of the attendants there, in addition to the worry and frustration that prevailed the hall. There were many surmises in mind but I swear that what happened did not cross the minds of all who had the honor less than an hour ago when they saluted His Highness and saw with his activity and signs of joy and optimism on his face.

Events came about quickly to end with the sad news that shocked all of Bahrain ... As for the Diwan, where I was a witness, everyone was in a state of shock; I looked around to see one crying, appalled or motionless. As far as I am concerned, I was in a serious state of shock, similar to paralysis despite my tireless efforts to move my legs; I could not stand for a few minutes that seemed to me a century full of sorrow and anguish.

the bout of severe fatigue and sickness was evident in the performance of His Highness the Emir of the country, and all of a sudden, h put his hands on his chest, and his pure forehead was sweating. His Highness the Prime Minister, embraced his dear brother to support him as he did all of his life; he ordered Dr. Abdul Latif Al-Rumaihi, President of the Court (Diwan) of His Highness to summon doctors. He continued his attempts to alleviate the pain of his brother and to raise his morale whilst awaiting the arrival of doctors. All these were around His Highness: His Highness Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Housing, Municipalities and the Environment, and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

At once His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, and the sons of His Highness the Emir of the country: Sheikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Chairman of the National Guard, His Highness Sheikh Ali Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Minister of the Emiri Diwan Affairs, were informed, who immediately went to the building of the Prime Minister's Office in Manama. His Highness Sheikh Ali Bin Isa came along with the Emirs private heart doctor.

Mr. Mohamed Al Mutawa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Media, was also informed; who was leaving his office to attend the Middle East Exhibition and Conference for Communications MECOM and the Gulf Exhibition for Radio and Television, and the program production market for the Six Gulf Festival for Television Production. These events were held under the auspices of His Highness the Prime Minister.

The Diwan had now turned into a bizarre scene: speeding cars come and leave quickly, doctors enter and exit, ambulances move quickly towards the building, which became overcrowded with attendees while the atmosphere of anxiety and shock hit everyone. Behind the closed doors, there were emotions of profound love between the two brothers...and through the unanimous stories told by witnesses, His Highness Sheikh Isa was trying hard to stand still to reassure the frightened hearts around him, but His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, the soul mate of his brother, could not show firmness and ease for along time; worry and anxiety soon appeared on face. More and more signs of serious fatigue were approaching the features of his brother, whom he met with faith and confidence in God; he addressed his brother saying: brother, please if I die, bury me today!! Sheikh Khalifa would repeat far from you doctors are on the way.

We, the crowd in the Diwan, were easing our hearts by thinking its a short sickness that might have struck the beloved one we occupied ourselves with prayers to God Almighty to alleviate the health of the beloved of all Bahrainis. We were asking ourselves questions lifting our morale, when Mr. Muhammad Al-Motawa and Dr. Faisal Al Mousawi, Minister of Health, with tears dropping from their eyes. The signs of shock were clearly evident on their faces; the pious spirit had ascended to its creator repeating in dignity and glory (the holy verse): you pious spirit return content to you God and at rest and enter in Gods heaven and creatures.

At those moments, the Diwan was shivering with the tears and cries of men who now realized that the tender father, their Prince and wise leader, had left this world to meet his God, and with hearts filled with anguish and eyes overflowing with tears, some of the crowd had witnessed the body of pious Father (His Highness) laid on a stretcher and covered with his cloak ... They saw him carried on the shoulders of men in the same elevator, which His Highness was taking almost two hours ago while he was in his vigor and happiness Everyone was repeating: There is no might or power except with God with His Highness the Prime Minister, who boarded the other elevator surrounded by the late Highnesss sons and the sons of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, with tears pouring down from their eyes, mourning the loss of the father, the uncle, and the commander.

I, from my position, and despite the horror of the catastrophe ... I look carefully at His Highness Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa, who was in a state of shock and grief over the loss of his beloved brother; he too received the compassion of the hearts of the people who saw the impact of the shock on him.

His Highness Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa was very close to the heart and mind of the great late Emir. His Highness Sheikh Isa, mercy upon his soul, was keen to keep a special care and a great love of his nephew; he was treating him like one of his sonsAlthough he was treating every Bahraini as a son, it was clear that his nephew, Sheikh Ali, was closer to his heart, as everyone noted.

A mans standing.

A Great Ordeal.

A Mighty loss.

Bahrain, though had lost a lot with the death of its leader, Sheikh, and Emir, it received the tragedy with faith ... And Gods mercy had given men to this country who are capable of concealing their grief and pain, and when invited by Bahrain, they respond immediately to meet the appeal with more resolve to complete the mission. Thus, in spite of his anguish and sadness, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman was aware that duty comes before sadness ... The eyes shed tears and the heart poured sadness, but Bahrain needed a standpoint. Immediately Highness Sheikh Khalifa gave his directives to arrange for an exceptional meeting for the Council of Ministers.

Fateful decisions were to be issued from this meeting, the Council was to take place for the first time filled with grief and sadness under the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa and the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa; there was an urgent need for a formal declaration to the world that knew His Highness, as a great leader and a noble Emir, who spent his life over the years trying to achieve the best for his country and the good of the entire world. His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa had to address the Bahraini people and the world.

In a manly, patriotic position, which His Highness certainly never wished to happen, Sheikh Khalifa, with faith in Gods will and fate, overcame his grief, and with a coherent, sad voice, mourned to Bahrain and the entire world the death of the Emir: with hearts assured of Gods fate and will, we mourn today the passing of our father for the entire Arab and Islamic nation, His Highness the late Emir, Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, may God rest his soul and bestow mercy upon his spirit, and with what our father had entrusted us, we today announce assuming the rein of Bahrain, May God help us. We will inquire strength from God to be able to fulfill the service of our country and our people using the approach adopted by the late great Emir for the service of religion, his homeland and his people and his nation. We ask God for success achievement.

Announcements were issued successively The shock was spreading slowly worldwide. The first of these announcements was the statement issued by the Council of Ministers and its President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa: in the name of God the Merciful, the most compassionate ... The Cabinet mourns with great sadness and regret to the loyal and devoted people of Bahrain, to the Arab and Islamic nation at large, and to the friendly countries in general, our great Emir, our merciful father, and our renaissance leader His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, who passed away at 12 oclock Today noon, Saturday, the 18th of 1419 AH (March 6, 1999 AD). The Council of Ministers at this moment of national grief can only adhere and comply with Gods will and fate, and pray that God, the eternal creator, have mercy and forgiveness upon the soul of the late Emir and that he dwells in Gods paradise.

After announcing the death of His Highness the Emir of the country, May God rest his soul, officially, there were constitutional steps to fill the constitutional void resulting from the death of the Emir of the country. As it is known, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman was keen in his commitment to the Constitution and achieving the transfer of power to the legitimate successor smoothly and easily. Perhaps this trait had surprised observers and the international press, which focused on this particular point.

In this regard, the Council of Ministers issued a statement, which reads

"Pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution and Ordinance No. 12 of 1973 for the inheritance of the Principality and the Sovereign Ordinance No. 4 of 1975, the Council of Ministers announces Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa and Crown, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa the Emir of the country, to succeed Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa. We pray to God to protect His Highness from any harm or mischief, and that he be a pillar for us and to the Arab and Islamic nation; he is the worthy successor to the best predecessor. God is the all-listening and the all-replier. We are to God, and to God we return ...

Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister.

By this, Bahrain had said goodbye to the founder of its renaissancethrough announcing his legitimate heir a prince and a governor. Bahrain had given its loyalty to its Sheikh who died while ignoring his suffering and pain for the sake of Bahrain and the stability of its people.

At Sheikh Isa mosque at Al Rafaa Al Gharbi, near Al Rafa Palace, the Bahraini people gathered in the courtyard of the mosque and in the surrounding area; they came to say good-bye to the father whom they loved and loved them backThey all came, as if they were one heart, to perform the afternoon prayers and pray for the spirit of the deceased beloved. After praying for the spirit of the deceased, and among the congregation was His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in addition to senior members of the ruling family, the chaste body was transferred by an ambulance to Al Rafa cemetery at Al Hanenieh, which is a valley that separates Al Rafa Al Gharbi from Al Rafa Al Sharqi (west and east). There, the chaste body was buried in the soil of Bahrain, which also had the bodies of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, governor of Bahrain, who dies in February 20, 1942, whose tenure lasted from 1932 until 1942, and after him His Highness Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, late governor of Bahrain, who began his tenure in 1942, and continued until Thursday, the second of November 1961, when he passed away.

The Soul Mate.

Bahrain did not ignore the page the page of His Highness the late Emir; it certainly would not do so. There is much to study in the ethics, character and the ideas of this man, who initiated the renaissance of modern Bahrain, and has founded its prestige among the nations of the world.

The sons of Bahrain remember many wonderful stories in the biography of the Prince, who had the wisdom of the leader and the kindness of the father; he managed to save Bahrain from many of the difficult junctions, which can hardly be seen else where.

Here we stand to contemplate this intimate bond that linked the brothers: Isa and Khalifa that impressed friends and the recognition and admiration of observers and became a phenomenon that can hardly be found in history ... This remarkable bond did not stop upon the death of one twin spirits, but it continued to record the best examples of mutual love and sincerity between His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa, the Emir of the country and his uncle, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa. We might not need in this area for more than the expressions of His Highness the new Emir of the country, which transcended the protocol considerations, which described His Highness Sheikh Khalifa as the father, the uncle and the parent.

The biography of the brothers is full of Al Nabatti poetry that registers their bond: His Highness Sheikh Khalifa describes his brother the late Emir, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, as the twin spirit. Perhaps here lies the whole question: the spiritual aspect of the relationship, which has transcended their relationship beyond materialism, greed and selfishness. It is a complementary relationship, where every brother complements the qualities of the other; each trying to be the helper, the supporter and consultant of his brother and for the interest of Bahrain and the welfare of its people.

His Highness the late Emir says in the poem, which we referred to earlier, addressing his twin spirit and soul brother, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, during his absence in a long travel outside the country:

Khalifa, the pillar of manhood, abumohammad
My supporter and my pride in missions

Very generous manners of esteemed level
With firmness, determination and diligence

Neighbors and guests admire his munificence
He races to win Excellencies and high class

He is a pioneer in the generous society
He is like a lion or a jaguar and a remarkable sign

Tomorrow is the Eid but seeing him
Is the best of all Eids

When will I see you my twin spirit
To rejoice seeing you and rest the heart

The poem, as we have indicated, is filled with intimacy. It reveals the extent of the feelings of communication between the brothers If this poem shows the yearning and love of His Highness the late Prince to see his absent brother Isa, then the following incident refers to a counter yearning in the heart of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa for his brother.

His Highness Sheikh Isa had just completed his medical examination in the United States of America and was on the way back home, the doctors asked His Highness to rest well, in addition to the long, tiring flight from the United States to Bahrain, which might have adverse influence on the health of His Highness. Therefore, he decided to stop for some time in France for rest and recreation.

Of course His Highness Sheikh Khalifa had prior knowledge of this arrangement his tender love towards his brother advised him to arrange a pleasant surprise. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa decided to express his yearning for his brother in his usual romantic way. The surprise was when His Highness Sheikh Isa descended the plane stairs at Orly Airport in Paris, he find his brother Khalifa awaiting him with eager to hug him. After three days spent in Paris, Highness Sheikh Khalifa spent with his brother, he returned to the country to pursue his national responsibilities.

This was not the first gesture of this kind nor was it the last In the past, specifically in 1990, the doctors decided to conduct a heart surgery to His Highness Sheikh Isa and despite his Highness attempts to convince His Highness Sheikh Khalifa not to accompany him, Sheikh Khalifa insisted on his decision; he accompanied his brother did not leave him until the operation ended successfully.

His Highness Sheikh Isa, God rest his soul in peace, as all his companions and visitors have noted, was extremely worried over the health of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, when he was compelled to stay in bed at Alawali Hospital for thirty days. During this time, His Highness Sheikh Isa was ignoring all the requirements of the Protocol; he visitied his brother two or three times every day. He used to sit in the reception room close to the pavilion of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa and ask doctors and assistants whether his brother was asleep or awake. If he was told that his brother was asleep, then he would leave the hospital to return once again and after several hours! Perhaps all of this concern, which had dominated the heart of His Highness Sheikh Isa, mercy God rest his soul in peace, Perhaps all this worry had shifted to the joy and jubilation that came upon the recovery of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa.

and we learn from His Highness...

this legacy of great love..

With this spontaneous transparency that ruled the brotherly relationship: Isa and Khalifa, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the Emir of Bahrain, was drawing the features of the present and the future of the relationship between His Highness and his uncle Sheikh Khalifa. Since the first moments of His Highness Sheikh Hamads handling power in the country, he expressed his admiration and gratitude for the role played and supported by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa in the giving process led by His Highness the late governor, supported by his beloved brother.

As His Highness the new Emir of the country inherited the pledge and the mission, he also inherited the pure feelings of love and the spontaneous ability to express this love towards the supporter and companion of his father during his reign; he added his own special character, nobility of manners, expressing it whilst surpassing all formalities.

-In his first speech, His Highness the Emir said: by Gods will, we will remain in the same approach outlined by the late great Emir, extending the hand of friendship, support and cooperation to anyone who wants the good of Bahrain at home and abroad. While paying tribute to the achievements of the great deceased, we must acknowledge our gratitude and recognition, for benefit of history and truth, the role played by his assistant and supporter, his Uncle His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the distinguished Prime Minister from the first until the last moment in the service of the nation and building the state, the leadership of the government with his wise perceptive and great efforts.
He benefited the country with his wisdom, experience and organization; he will remain the source of inspiration and example for us in the face of the functions of the national work, and the requirements of the future. We address appreciation and gratitude to His Highness, may God protect him, for all his leading positions in every phase of the growth of this country, with confidence that His Highness, with what God has given him of great vision and strength of resolve, will continue with us and you the course of development that he inherited from past generations.

The people of Bahrain know their new Emir well ... And if there is anyone who knows highness more, then it is by no doubt his uncle and the brother of his, may God rest his soul in peace. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa expressed his feelings towards the Emir of Bahrain in the same open, honest way, which we knew was mutual between the two brothers. In this same openness, he says in a speech he delivered on March 14, 1999, during the first meeting of the Council of Ministers in the new era: Isa Bin Salman will remain a pillar in the history of his nation, as is it the case with his great achievements, and noble manners; his memory will be eternal in the conscience of his country and his loyal people.

In these sad days, we draw our condolences of Isa from his beloved son, his successors His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Emir of Bahrain, and may he has a long life. We are confident that he will be a worthy successor to the best predecessor, and that his era will be the era of prosperity, welfare and progress, as was the era of his predecessor, because of what he possesses of wisdom, leading capabilities, and good management. It will be our delight to make our maximum effort in supporting His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa, as we have done with the late Emir, Sheikh Isa Bin Salman, to continue to build on what he founded nationally, regionally, and internationally.
We would like in this regard to express our best wishes of success and repayment for the dear son and His Highness Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, whose crowning as the crown prince was a source of pride and satisfaction of all. Moreover, the system and the valuable approach adopted for achieving the sooth transfer of power in the country had a good impact on everyone, which expressed constancy and stability of the state of law and the institutions laid by the late Emir of the country, the late Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa. "

It is the conscience of the man that conveys its generous thoughts regarding his nephew, the most desirable to his heart. As for his feelings toward his late brother, he certainly expressed it at many occasions but was more transparent and touching upon his death, when he said: it is a great sorrow for the heart to stand here today consoling ourselves for the loss of the dearest man for Bahrain and the Arab and Islamic nations, the great late Emir, leader, father and brother, His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, may God rest his soul, and make paradise his abode with the righteous and innocent. Bahrain and the Arab and Islamic nation has lost Isa Bin Salman, the formidable leader who dedicated most of his life to work for his country's modern development and progress in various areas and served the issues of the Arab and Islamic nation, and who worked for achieving peace and stability in the region and the whole world, filled with brotherly and friendly emotions towards his people and other peoples.
by this he cites an example and ideals, which are rarely replicated for the father-leader who combine both wisdom and a great heart, and great manners with the belief in the principles of truth, justice, cooperation and peace between the way for ruling the people and the basis for relations between nations and peoples. Thus, the era of Isa was an era of peace, construction, progress, renaissance and national unity ... The achievements in his era in the realm of modern Bahrain and the assumption of its regional and international prestigious rank that we now enjoy, is worthy of all measures of pride and honor.

With this giving mutual caring and generous spirit, and the recognition of the rights of others, and its role through Their Highnesss of Al Khalifa, many of the obstacles that stood in the way of achievement have been overcome. With this transparency, this family has carved a tradition that granted Bahrain a great opportunity to prove the stability of its institutions and Constitution and the ability to transit from one era to another smoothly and easily. No one can deny the role of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, the uncle, the old friend and the Prime Minister in maximizing the Constitution, and his eagerness to transfer authority to the Crown Prince, the new Emir, in an amazingly smooth way.

Perhaps these attitudes towards Bahrain and the late Emir...Perhaps these were passing in the mind of His Highness the Emir of Bahrain, while he was reflects in his words and action, his appreciation and tribute to the efforts of his uncle, and his high esteem in the hearts of the Bahrainis, in general and the sons of the ruling family in particular.

Few days after assuming power in the country, His Highness the Emir has taken the initiative by visiting His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister in his Diwan; he expressed his respect, gratitude and appreciation for the noble positions and attitudes His Highness Sheikh Khalifa had adopted towards the late Emir and now towards the new Emir. In addition, his work for the welfare of Bahrain and its security and stability was highly appreciated.

In all his inspection visits during the early reign period, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the Emir was keen to declare his appreciation for the achievements made by his uncle, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa. This was evident in His Highness visit to the leadership of the National Guard; his speech then will remain forever in the memory of every Bahraini citizen. He said, pointing to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa under this banner and from this site, I am pleased to extend on behalf of all of an appreciation and a tribute to the father the dear uncle His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the distinguished Prime Minister. He expressed pride in working with him to serve the nation and the citizens, and that is what will remain the source of our pride and appreciation.

As for what happened in the visit of His Highness the Emir of Bahrain to the Ministry of the Interior, we can only say that these attitudes are unprecedented in the history of worldwide nations, not to mention the intimate, mutual bond between the two brothers: Isa and Khalifa, that was inherited and transferred to the nephew and the uncle: Hamad and Khalifa.

His highness added, with more transparency and sincere spontaneity: "Allow me to make my speech brief in the presence of the father and the dear uncle His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime MinisterI wanted this because the eye can not override the brow.

The homeland ... and the role of brothers.

I have once asked His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa: how can I or any researcher is able to evaluate the achievements performed by His Highness to Bahrain at all levels?

The answer was a model of humility, self-denial and noble ethics, which everyone recognized in His HighnessHe said: "monitor the achievements in the era of Isa Bin Salman, mercy upon his soul, and perform an analytical comparison of what we had at the beginning of the road ... and what we had then was a major achievement in the light of the prevailing circumstances and conditions in the 1940s and 1950s ... There are many other questions that could be posed by a scholar, and its answers are the witness to the era of Isa : How many schools were in Bahrain in 1961, how many are they now, its quality, and the evolution of the educational process itself. You can ask how many health center or hospitals we have, how many factories, and the status of the commercial life ... Bahrains commercial, economic and international rank.

Observe where we have we been and where are we today; look at the circumstances and external political factors which affected Bahrain over the past few years before His Highness the late Emir held his positionthe repercussions of the Second World War, the Iranian allegations ambitions in Bahrain, the conflict between Britain and Iran and then the United States of America participation in the dilemma upon emergence of oil in the region and the impact and reflection of all of this on Bahrain.

Then observe the political currents that intertwined with each other on the Arab land in general and concurrent with the launch of the national tide, as well as the escalation of many fundamentalist and ideological movements and its negative or positive impact on Bahrain, which was not far from these interactions and transformations ... study the role of Bahrain in the Gulf unity, its Arab national role, and this edifice of international relations that Bahrain managed to accomplish thanks to the approach established by Isa in the foreign policy of Bahrain, which won the confidence, respect and love of all.

With this honest inspection and this objective analysis you can reacha sincere evaluation of the achievements that Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa had led ... I said "... and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa too ...

His Highness replied: It is our role and our responsibility in this life to the nation and these loyal people.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa treated his nephew, the Emir, with a fatherly compassion, which has great significance to the amount of admiration, love and pride, which he had for the son of his brother, the dear late Emir; the car which picked His Highness the Emir to the Ministry of the Interior was driven by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa!.

In return, His Highness the Emir has taken the first opportunity to complement and pay tribute to his uncle in front of a crowd of senior officials in the Ministry of the Interior, and the media, he said: After God, the Almighty, I present my thanks to the father and dear uncle His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, the Prime Minister, who facilitated the suitable environment for us to serve the state and citizens, and we are still learning a lot from His Highness, and we will appreciate his favors forever.

His highness, with more transparency and spontaneous sincerity, added: "Allow me to make my speech brief in the presence of the father and dear uncle His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, because the eye cannot override the brow.