AFP, WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama personally appealed to the King of Bahrain for restraint and condemned violence by the US-allied government against protesters in the latest Middle East flashpoint.
The US president also condemned violence against anti-government demonstrations in Yemen, which offers important cooperation in the US anti-terror fight, and by the government in long-time US foe Libya.
Obama's call to King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa came on a day when Washington was again torn between support for a regional ally and the aspirations of protesters seeking what Obama sees as universal political rights.
Obama warned in the call to Bahrain's King that the United States believed the stability of the Western-leaning Gulf kingdom which houses the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet depended on a process of meaningful political reform.
"President Obama spoke with King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain this evening to discuss the ongoing situation in Bahrain," a White House statement said.
The US leader "reiterated his condemnation of the violence used against peaceful protesters, and strongly urged the government of Bahrain to show restraint, and to hold those responsible for the violence accountable," the statement said.
"As a longstanding partner of Bahrain, the president said that the United States believes that the stability of Bahrain depends upon respect for the universal rights of the people of Bahrain, and a process of meaningful reform that is responsive to the aspirations of all Bahrainis."
Obama's telephone conversation with the king came after several days of bloodshed in Bahrain after government forces stormed a square in the capital Manama and ejected protesters demanding political reform.
Earlier, in a statement issued as he flew to an event in the Pacific northwest state of Oregon, Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen.
"The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries and wherever else it may occur," the statement said.
"We express our condolences to the family and friends of those who have been killed during the demonstrations," said Obama who was getting extra briefings on Friday on the regional turmoil.
"The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests and to respect the rights of their people," Obama said, just a week after the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.
The administration has argued that each nation feeling the lash of revolt in the Middle East is different, but said it will speak out everywhere in favor of the universal values of peaceful protest and free assembly.
The wave of unrest is testing the underpinnings of US policy, which for decades has seen Washington side with rulers who kept a lid on dissent but provided relative geopolitical stability.
Disquiet about events in the Gulf, and US links to the violence also started to bubble up on Capitol Hill.
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy asked the State Department to look into whether a law which prohibits aid to foreign security forces that violate human rights could be invoked against Bahrain.
"To a watching world, the vicious and orchestrated attacks on civilian protesters and journalists in Bahrain, Libya, Iran and elsewhere in the region are repugnant," Leahy said.
In its 2011 budget request, the Obama administration asked Congress to provide over 20 million dollars in military, non-proliferation and anti-terrorism aid to the kingdom of Bahrain.
In Libya, a "day of anger" by opposition groups against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi cost at least 28 lives, according to local sources.
In Bahrain, there was another bloodbath, as security forces opened fire on anti-regime protesters in the capital on Friday, wounding dozens, a day after four people were killed and some 200 wounded.
Reports said up to 55 people were wounded in Friday's protests.
There was also a new outburst of violence in Yemen, where the government is a vital ally in the US anti-terror campaign.
