§ 43. Mr. Warbeyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for how long he has refused to issue visas and no-objection certificates to representatives of the Press desiring to visit Bahrain; and when he proposes to relax this ban.
§ Mr. Ian HarveyVisas for Bahrain are issued by the British authorities for and on behalf of the Bahrain Government, which is free to decide who shall or shall not be admitted to Bahrain. It is not the policy of the Bahrain Government to exclude Press correspondents. For a short period following the disturbances early in November some visa applications were held up owing to the uncertainty of the security situation. Since then visas have in general, been available and several have been issued to Press representatives.