A report on the issue prepared by parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee was withdrawn by its chairman Adel Al Mo’awada to allow three weeks to negotiate with the government on steps to be taken.
Parliament has been demanding the release of Abdulraheem Al Murbati, Abdulla Al Nuaimi and Hassan Al Yabis, who are in prison without any charges brought against them.
They want the government to send an official delegation to negotiate with Saudi officials, while helping them meet the Saudi Shura Council to discuss the release of the prisoners.
Foreign Ministry legal affairs director Yousif Abdulkarim said that the government was already working hard to have the three released.
"We are working through every channel possible to ensure their release and there are negotiations that MPs don’t know about, which are already in process," he said.
Mr Al Mo’awada said that the government was obliged to inform parliament about those steps to co-ordinate efforts.
"We are the last to know here and if the government is really working hard, why are those men still in prison for years,"
he said.
"Their families are suffering and the government is saying that it is working hard, while we see nothing.
"The only way to ensure that we don’t work in separate paths is that we co-ordinate efforts and this can only happen through discussions on what should be done, which MPs are divided on.
"Withdrawing the report is the only solution that will ensure efforts are unified for the release of the prisoners."
Meanwhile, MPs yesterday voted in favour of an urgent proposal to have the government pay for all necessary medicine that are not found in government hospitals and health centres, despite being prescribed by its doctors.
They also voted in favour of having a maternity ward at the Budaiya Health Centre despite objections from the Health Ministry that it can’t accommodate such service and that the new expansion there would be for a dentistry ward. Parliament referred an urgent proposal to have Bahrain University’s College of Education reopened to the services committee for review.