White House aide welcomes Bahrain dialogue

A senior aide to President Barack Obama has told Bahrain's crown prince that the United States welcomes that government's steps toward a dialogue with protesters but urged restraint by security forces, the White House said on Friday.

White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon spoke by telephone on Thursday with Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa and "expressed strong support for the Crown Prince's National Dialogue initiative." (Reuters)