MANAMA, May 29 (GDN): Bahrain's opposition must change its leadership, to move ahead with political reconciliation.

National Unity Gathering head Dr Shaikh Abdullatif Al Mahmood said the democracy movement, which began in February, had been hijacked by Shi'ite opposition leaders with a sectarian agenda who were in contact with Iran's clerical leadership.

"We consider there to be three forces: the system (Royal Family), the Sunnis and the Shi'ites, and political and constitutional reform needs the consent of all of them," he said in an interview to Reuters.

"The problem is that the political Shi'ite movement has not conducted a reappraisal up to now. We don't want to reject Shi'ites or their political groups," said Dr Al Mahmood. "What is needed is that they reform themselves then present themselves again to society. In my view they will change their political leaderships, especially Al Wefaq."

Condemned

"It was Sunnis who were living in terror first, not the Shi'ites," he said, accusing protesters of attacking and insulting Sunnis.

He also condemned strikes by school teachers and days off to protest offered by some companies.

He denied opposition charges his movement is funded by Saudi Arabia or the government but said he met US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman after the first mass meeting he organised in late February.

"At first I wasn't worried (by the protests). They wanted to discuss setting up a constitutional monarchy, reforming parliament and naturalisation (of foreign Sunnis). I said yes, there's no problem with that," Dr Al Mahmood said. "But then it became clear it wasn't about reforms, it was about sectarian politics, to set up a religious state controlled by the supreme jurist," he added, referring to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.