Protesters return to square in Bahrain capital

Thousands of protesters have returned to celebrate a square that has been the symbolic heart of their protest after the leaders of Bahrain has ordered the military to withdraw tanks and other armored vehicles that had received earlier this week.

Military vehicles away Saturday from Pearl Square, the symbolic center of the Sunni insurgency against the monarchy in the Shiite-majority country, and riot police also removed.

The protesters waved flags of Bahrain cheers, flowers and signs that said "Quiet, peaceful" marched in place. They chanted: "We are victorious."

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, made a brief speech on state television and called for calm and political dialogue.

Bahrain has ordered his army to the streets Saturday to meet a key demand of the opposition to initiate a dialogue in the political crisis a day after security forces opened fire on protesters anti-government.

But an important leader of the Opposition said that the withdrawal of tanks and armored personnel carriers of the capital Manama is not enough to open negotiations with the leaders of the nation devastated by the Gulf crisis .

Ibrahim Sharif, head of the company Waad, demanded guarantees that the demonstrators can organize events without fear of being attacked. Waad is an umbrella group of factions to protest.

Jubilant Bahrainis honked car horns, waving flags and signs flashed V-for-victory as armored vehicles began to move away from Pearl Square, the symbolic center of the Sunni uprising against the monarchy in the Shiite-majority country.

An Associated Press photographer saw a contingent of riot police who replaced fire military tear gas at people celebrating the withdrawal of military space and to hold at least 10 people.

The riot police then left the station, got into vehicles and left, allowing thousands of cheering demonstrators waving flags of Bahrain, flowers and signs that said "Quiet, peaceful" March instead.

"We are victorious," the demonstrators chanted.

On Friday, army units opened fire on demonstrators streamed into the square. More than 50 people were injured in the second consecutive day of clashes.

Thousands of demonstrators descended on the place earlier in the week, setting up a camp with tents and signs, but they were chased by riot police in a deadly attack Thursday that killed five people and injured over 200. The government clamped down on Manama by sending tanks and other armored vehicles in the streets around the square, setting up barbed wire and checkpoints to prevent the establishment of the meetings.

According to a government statement, the order for withdrawal from the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Supreme Commander of Armed Forces and members of the royal family who was appointed to open a dialogue with leaders of the protest.

The statement said he had ordered "the withdrawal of all troops in the streets of Bahrain with immediate effect."

"The police Bahrain will continue to oversee law and order," the statement said.

It was not immediately clear whether the tanks and other armored vehicles were headed his way home to military bases.

The Crown Prince called for calm and political dialogue in a brief speech on state television.

"The sooner we return to calm, the sooner we can achieve our goals," said Salman.

"Citizens of Bahrain, we will work together with all the political blocs to help return the security situation to normal so that we can announce a day of mourning for those we have lost."

President Barack Obama discussed the situation with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, asking him to hold the perpetrators of violence accountable. He said in a statement that Bahrain must respect the "universal rights" of his people and to adopt "meaningful reform."

The demonstrators who tried in March to replace Friday described a chaotic scene with clouds of tear gas, bullets coming from several directions and drag in puddles of blood as they tried to cover. Some say the shots came from helicopters and sniper nests.

The clash came hours after the funeral mourners and faithful to prayer on Friday called for the downfall of Western-allied monarchy in the small island that is home to the 5th Fleet of the Navy, the centerpiece of efforts by the Pentagon to deal with Iranian military influence.

Some members of the Sunni system of Bahrain in power fear that Shiite Iran could use central Shiite majority in Bahrain as a foot farther into the region.

The cries against the king and his entourage - a Shiite mosque and burial of those killed when security forces attacked a protest camp at Pearl Square - represent a sharp escalation of political insurrection, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy of claims of power and address the discrimination against the Shiite majority.

The mood, however, turned to defiance of the decision system after the crackdown, which put the nation under emergency foot style with military forces in key areas and control points on main roads.