EU unlikely to call on Bahrain regime to step down

An escalation in the government crack-down on pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain and the incursion of 1,000 Saudi troops on the island, has spooked European capitals, which had not expected the tiny but geostrategically important state to be destabilised in the wake of the ongoing regional uprisings.

The EU is treating the explosive situation gingerly, with officials saying privately that the bloc is not about to call for the leader, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to step down as they...