Bahrain appears to back Iran on foreign meddling

MANAMA (Reuters) - The Gulf Arab state of Bahrain, where a Sunni family rules over a Shi'ite Muslim majority, has told Iran it is against any foreign interference there, newspapers said on Tuesday, appearing to back Iran over domestic protests.

Iran has accused Western countries, foremost the United States and Britain, of fomenting unrest on the streets of Tehran following disputed elections.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa made his comments at a meeting with the Iranian ambassador on Monday, Arabic and English papers said.

"He rejected any external interference in Iran's internal affairs, stressing the importance of respecting diplomatic protocols and agreements between countries," the Gulf Daily News reported.

Journalists at the daily Akhbar Al-Khaleej's publisher said the authorities suspended publication on Monday over a column that attacked the Iranian leadership for its handling of protests over the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

An official at the Ministry of Information declined to comment. The newspaper reappeared on Tuesday.

Gulf Arab officials broke their silence on Monday when the United Arab Emirates' foreign minister appeared to back claims of Western meddling, saying interference was "unacceptable."

The Emir of Qatar, another key Gulf Arab energy producer, also expressed concerns over the violence on Monday night after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris.

"Iran is an important country for Qatar and the Gulf and he hoped stability would prevail in the country," the state news agency QNA said on Tuesday.

Many of the smaller Gulf Arab states lying across the Gulf waterway have maintained close ties with the Shi'ite power, veering from Saudi and Egyptian-led attempts to ostracise Iran over its backing for Arab opposition groups and Shi'ites.

Bahrain with its Shi'ite majority could be vulnerable to any Iranian government backlash if order is restored.

Saudi media have given broad play to Tehran's troubles, with newspapers splashing images of bloodied protestors on front pages and its pan-Arab Al Arabiya TV running endless footage.

(Reporting by Frederik Richter and Andrew Hammond)