Sawt Falasteen - UK leader Starmer heads to Gulf to talk trade, Mideast

Starmer will first visit the United Arab Emirates and then travel to Saudi Arabia, before stopping off in Cyprus on his way back to London on Tuesday in a bid "to build closer ties and drive long term UK growth".

The trip to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh comes as his Labour government pursues a free-trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council's six nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

"There is huge untapped potential in this region, which is why, while here, I will be making the case to accelerate progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement," Starmer said in a statement released Saturday.

The meetings will also aim to "deepen our research and development collaboration" and partner on projects in areas including defence and artificial intelligence, Starmer added.

The British leader will land in the UAE on Sunday evening, ahead of Monday morning talks with its president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Later Monday, Starmer will fly to Saudi Arabia to meet Riyadh's de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who last week hosted French President Emmanuel Macron.

A Downing Street press release called the UAE and Saudi "some of the UK's most vital modern-day partners".

The regional tour will end on Tuesday with Starmer meeting President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, the first bilateral talks between the leaders of Britain and Cyprus in over five decades.

Starmer is also due to address British troops stationed in Cyprus.

- Economic boost -

Labour has staked its credibility on a promise to get Britain's sluggish economy firing again.

It says a GCC agreement could boost bilateral trade, currently accounting for £55 billion ($70 bn) of UK trade, by 16 percent, "potentially adding an extra £8.6 billion a year in the long run".

It hopes a deal would see Gulf sovereign wealth funds invest in a range of sectors, including energy and infrastructure, while also opening up lucrative markets to British firms.

Starmer's trip comes after Britain last week rolled out the diplomatic red carpet for Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani who enjoyed a state visit to the UK.

Starmer discussed trade with the royal during talks in Downing Street that coincided with Qatar announcing it will invest £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in British climate technologies.

Discussing regional conflicts is expected to be "high up the agenda", including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and renewed unrest in Syria.

Starmer will also be looking to repair relations between the UK and UAE that soured under the previous Conservative government after an Abu Dhabi-backed bid to buy the Telegraph newspaper failed.

The Gulf visit will be Starmer's 15th international trip since he entered Number 10 on July 5.

Opponents have criticised the amount of time he has spent out of the country but allies insist the trips have been vital to get to know other world leaders.

Starmer, 61, has been insisting in capitals that "Britain is back on the world stage" following rancour over its departure from the European Union.

R.AbuNasser--SF-PST