[April 08, 2013] Breach of trust Tweet Apr 08, 2013 (Gulf Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- OPPOSITION representatives at the National Dialogue have been leaking live updates from the closed sessions over the Internet. They have been broadcasting comments of other participants using their mobile phones, it has emerged. The National Dialogue meeting room is specially equipped to prevent the use of such devices, with phone signals blocked to prevent external communication. However, members of the opposition delegation have apparently been connecting to wireless Internet services offered by the hotel where negotiations are taking place and relaying details of the sessions. One participant said she believed they were streaming audio to people outside the meeting room, who were then typing out a live transcript of the proceedings and publishing it on the Internet. News of the leaks threatens to further dent trust between parties at the negotiation table. "The leaked comments are not paraphrased, they are the exact words we gave in our debate," said MP and National Dialogue participant Sawsan Taqawi, who described it as a breach of trust. "This shows that someone records us and transmits it to the outside. "It gets posted online within seconds, maybe using a programme or someone who is a fast typer. "We are here to trust each other and make comments in a relaxed atmosphere, in which everyone speaks their mind freely, but when things get leaked, many become hesitant to speak. "There should be etiquette in the way we deal with each other, but I receive my comments as a broadcast on WhatsApp even before I complete what I am saying." The discovery was made two hours into last night's session at the Al Areen Resort and Spa, which was asked to stop its wireless Internet service as a result. Dialogue spokesman Isa Abdulrahman said mediators asked opposition representatives if they wanted the sessions to be open, instead of being closed, but they didn't respond. "The sessions are closed and anything that goes on there is off bounds," he said. "Opposition figures leaking what goes on inside have been asked if they wanted it to be open, but they didn't respond." He also described the leaking of participants' comments as "unacceptable". Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr Majid Al Nuaimi said the opposition had agreed to look into the proposal by the National Coalition, which is the Sunni contingent at the talks, to divide the two weekly National Dialogue sessions in half -- allowing one session for debate on scheduled issues and the other for areas of conflict. "We wanted to move onto the schedule as planned today, but the opposition still insisted on discussions on issues of conflict -- such as His Majesty King Hamad being represented in the dialogue, equal representation and removing National Assembly representatives," he said last night. "The opposition has agreed to look into the coalition's proposal to use Sundays for contested issues and Wednesdays to debate the schedule." He added opposition representatives were now calling for the release of prisoners. "They even asked for the release of prisoners, which they called 'prisoners of opinion', and that's in no-one's hands except the King and the judiciary, which is not represented in dialogue." Opposition spokesman Sayed Jameel Kadhim said the request to release prisoners was designed to ease tensions. He also explained why the opposition wanted the King represented. "The King is the biggest authority in the country and everything is under his direct watch," he said. "Without that, our meetings here have a dark future, despite us being committed to showing up. "We have asked for the release of prisoners to relax the tense atmosphere on the street, especially with up to 1,800 people in jail without verdicts." Mr Kadhim also claimed the opposition was being victimised by the media. "What's happening on the street is people demanding their rights," he said. "The media should stop calling us traitors and lousy politicians who are affiliated with others outside, despite us coming here to reach a solution to the turmoil." However, a spokesman for the National Coalition said last night's session again achieved nothing and accused the opposition of continuing to stall the process. "We could have saved precious time discussing issues of common ground, but the opposition still wants to stall discussions from within," said Ahmed Juma. [email protected] ___ (c)2013 the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) Visit the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) at www.gulf-daily-news.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]