Shiite majority defiant in Bahrain

MANAMA, Bahrain, March 8 (UPI) -- Bahraini protesters turned out in defiance of police orders in order to put more pressure on the ruling al-Khalifa dynasty, witnesses said.

Protesters surrounded Bahrain's Cabinet building during the weekend, forcing a halt to government activity. Demonstrators demanded Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa step down.

The ruling Sunni Khalifa family has been rocked by weeks of protest by the disenfranchised Shiite majority.

Witnesses said many of the protesters occupying the financial center in the capital Manama were defying policy orders to disperse, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa ordered his military forces off the streets in late February, though tensions are reportedly escalating amid repeated calls for an end to the al-Khalifa regime.

However, the crown prince during the weekend said there was no other way to settle the issue besides dialogue.

Bahrain is a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, playing host to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a February meeting with Bahrain's royalty, emphasized his "strong commitment" to a friendly relationship with the kingdom's defense community, the Pentagon said.

Minority Shiite clerics have called for more demonstrations in Bahrain to honor those killed during protests in February.