Middle East minister starts Gulf tour

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, UK minister for the Middle East is set to undertake a tour of the Middle East, meeting with key partners to seek long-term solutions to the situation in Israel and Gaza.

Lord Ahmad is to arrive in Oman on Monday for the first leg of the visit before travelling to Kuwait and then concluding the visit in Saudi Arabia.

He is expected to meet with key figures, including Saudi Arabia’s vice foreign minister, the secretary general of the Muslim World League as well as Kuwait’s foreign minister ambassador Abdullah Al-Yahya and Oman’s Undersecretary for political affairs Sheikh Khalifa Al Harthy.

The minister is set to discuss how to ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through an immediate humanitarian pause in fighting leading to a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.

He will also discuss UK efforts to counter Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

Ahead of the visit, he said: "We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, and it is clear that wider escalation and instability in the region is in nobody’s interests.

"Our engagement with partners in the Middle East, including Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, is absolutely central to efforts towards achieving a sustainable, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and building wider regional security."

Image: UK Home Office via Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ukhomeoffice/20839146674