WASHINGTON, March 1 (UPI) -- Washington called on the government in Oman to practice restraint amid anti-government protests as witnesses report military forces in the streets.
Oman, a recipient of U.S. military assistance, became the latest Arab state to witness anti-government demonstrations. Protesters set fire Monday to a supermarket in the industrial city of Sohar and at least two people were reported killed in the protests.
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Washington was monitoring the situation closely.
"We have been in touch with the government and encouraged restraint and to resolve differences through dialogue," he told reporters during his regular press briefing.
Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said, in office since 1970, offered cash to job seekers and announced thousands of new government positions during the weekend. Demonstrations have continued nonetheless.
Security forces had sealed off access roads to Sohar to keep crowds from spreading. The government added that it used rubber bullets on the crowds after tear gas proved ineffective.
Around 250 people gathered in front of tribal council offices in Muscat, meanwhile, demanding more government reforms, the Emirati newspaper The National reports.
