Bahrain's al-Khalifa regime appears to be pulling back from plans to dismantle the main Shia opposition group after swift international criticism.

According to Aljazeera, the state-run Bahrain News Agency reported on Friday that authorities are holding off any action until the outcome of investigations into Wefaq party, which played a key role in recent pro-democracy protests, and a smaller Shia bloc.
Bahraini authorities said on Thursday they will seek court approval to dissolve the opposition groups for alleged links to the Shia-led uprising in the Persian Gulf kingdom that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
Wefaq has withdrawn its lawmakers from Bahrain's parliament to protest the government's crackdown on dissent, including a declaration of martial law.
The justice ministry said on Thursday it was seeking to ban Wefaq, which called supporters onto the streets in mass protests last month, for ""undertaking activities that harmed social peace, national unity, and inciting disrespect for constitutional institutions.""
The ministry also moved to ban the Islamic Action party, a Wefaq ally.
Political solution
Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, a former Wefaq member of parliament, said: ""It's reached a stage where they say there are no more moderates; that the entire opposition consists of extremists. This is the wrong message.
""The hardliners (in government) never wanted Wefaq to take part in elections and get seats in parliament"".
Wefaq said in a statement that it had always complied with Bahraini laws and regulations and that it was still committed to a political solution to Bahrain's crisis.
Al-Wefaq is the main opposition group in parliament, controlling almost half of the 40 seats.
The group has called for political reforms and for transforming Bahrain to a constitutional monarchy.
But its leaders have never publicly called for the departure of the pro-Western al-Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled Shia-majority Bahrain since 1783, as radical Shia groups and protesters have done.
Ongoing crackdown thousands of protesters -- many of them Shias frustrated with what they say is systemic economic and political discrimination ---- had staged daily rallies in Manama calling for greater democracy, but protests had been quelled in recent weeks with a heavy security presence on the streets.
Wefaq bemoaned the use of foreign troops which arrived less than 24 hours after Bahraini police clashed with demonstrators in one of the most violent confrontations which left seven protesters dead.
Bahrain remains under a state of emergency following a government crackdown on protests.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have sent troops to the Persian Gulf island nation to help quell the demonstrations and protect facilities including oil and gas installations and financial hubs.
According to the Bahrain Human Rights Council, the government has arrested more than 370 opponents of the regime since the introduction of emergency rule, Reuters reported.
Iran has called on the UN Security Council to protect opposition activists in Bahrain, saying unrest and suppression could destabilize the entire region, the official IRNA news agency said on Friday.
Tehran has been outspoken in its criticism of the Bahraini ruling family's suppression of protests by members of the Shia majority.
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Photo: Bahrain's main Shi'ite opposition group Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman attends a news conference in Manama March 30, 2011. (AP Photo