§ 39. Mr. Cyril D. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British interests in the Gulf.
§ Mr. LuceThe preservation of the stability and prosperity of the Gulf region is a major British interest. It is an area with which we have long had close links, and which is one of our most important overseas markets. It is equally important in the context of maintaining a predictable pattern of world oil supplies, to which this area makes a major contribution; and of the safety of the substantial numbers of British nationals living and working there.