Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa sacked four ministers, an attempt could be seen as a gesture of goodwill as the kingdom kicked off a national dialogue after days of protests against the government, local daily Al- Wasat reported Saturday.

The paper said those who have been sacked were the ministers of cabinet affairs, housing, health and electricity.

No official confirmation or statement has been issued to confirm the cabinet mini-reshuffle.

The shake-up could be an attempt to appease the Shiite opposition in the tiny Gulf nation ruled by the Sunni Muslim al- Khalifa family where the majority Shiite population says they are facing discrimination in jobs and other services.

The kingdom strongly denies such claims.

But last week, a wave of protests have been staged and seven people were killed, the worst unrest in the kingdom since the 1990s.