Visit of Lord Balniel, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, to Gulf states, January 1974.

This file concerns the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Lord Balniel [Robert Alexander Lindsay's] tour of the Gulf States to strengthen Britain's ties with the region and promote British trade and investment. It contains the programmes, briefings, records, and summaries of Lord Balniel’s meetings with the Rulers and representatives of Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait; largely concerned with oil supplies and prices in the context of an energy crisis in Britain and the Arab-Israeli conflict; and also covering potential collaboration with Britain on development projects and technical assistance, the rebellion in Dhofar, the threat of subversion in the region, cooperation between the Gulf States, and other regional issues. It also covers:

• The activities of the British Council and other bodies promoting British soft power, including Information Officers, media, and English language teaching
• Media coverage of Balniel’s visits
• Briefings containing economic data on the Gulf States (Bahrain)
• A proposal by the UAE Foreign Minister Ahmad Al Suwaidi for a joint investment project with the UAE
• The embargo by Arab states on the Netherlands
• The question of arms sales to the UAE, Egypt and Syria
• A meeting between Balniel and the Iranian Ambassador to the UK to discuss the former’s tour of the Gulf
• A speech by Balniel at the London Chamber of Commerce on the situation in the Gulf and opportunities for British business in the region
• Suggestions following Balniel’s tour of further steps to promote British trade in the Gulf
• A study by the US State Department on Soviet propaganda and activity in the Gulf, which has changed focus to urge the people of the Gulf to act against Western oil interests and attempt to exploit the tensions between the Gulf States and the West following the Yom Kippur War