Bahrain ministers ousted as exiled opposition leader returns

Bahrain's king ousted four Cabinet members today as a prominent opposition leader returned from exile and urged the country's rulers to back up reform promises with action.

Thousands of demonstrators pressed their demands for change by marching on government buildings in the capital, Manama.

Two members of the royal family were among the replaced Cabinet members, a possible nod to protesters' complaints that the ruling house of Al Khalifa holds too much control over state levers of power.

Bahrain's prime minister - the king's uncle, whose more than four decades in power has made him a focus of protesters' calls for reform - remains in his post.

Meanwhile, the return from self-imposed exile of Hassan Mushaima, a senior Shiite figure, could mark a new phase for an anti-government movement in the tiny Persian Gulf nation that is a strategically important American ally.

He heads a Shiite group known as Haq, which is considered more hardline than the main Shiite political bloc that has helped drive two weeks of protests.

He was embraced and kissed at the airport by supporters today as he returned from several months of voluntary exile in London.

His speaking appearance hours later, preceded by bursts of fireworks, electrified an already enthusiastic crowd packed into Pearl Square, the centre of demonstrations.

Mr Mushaima, who had been among a group of Shiite activists previously accused of plotting to overthrow Bahrain's rulers, called on the government to be more responsive to protesters' demands for far-reaching political reforms.

"Dialogue... is not enough. Promising is not enough. We have to see something on the ground," he told reporters.

Bahrain's rulers "have promised before but they did not do anything for the nation of Bahrain", he added.

The Bahraini opposition appears divided over whether to demand an end to the Sunni monarchy or offer it a chance to remain in exchange for handing powers to the elected parliament.

Mr Mushaima did not call directly for the removal of the monarchy, but insisted that any changes should grant more power to the people.

Asked if he hoped to lead the protest movement, he said: "I'm always saying to the people 'I'm your servant'."

His return to Bahrain was briefly delayed when his passport was confiscated during a stopover in Beirut on an Interpol warrant on Tuesday. But Bahraini authorities suspended the trial this week, and Lebanon returned his passport yesterday.