§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Minister of Trade to the Gulf states.
§ Mr. SainsburyI visited Kuwait and Bahrain between 29 October and 3 November.
In Kuwait I met the Amir, Crown Prince, six Ministers, the Governor of the Central Bank and senior Kuwaiti officials. In Bahrain I met the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister and two senior Ministers. In Kuwait I was accompanied by seven senior British business men. In Bahrain I visited the "Rebuild Kuwait 91" exhibition at which 150 British companies were represented, the largest national group.
My visit strengthened the already excellent bilateral commercial relations with Bahrain and Kuwait and enabled me and the business team accompanying me to pursue various export opportunities.