Visit by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Omani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, to the UK, May 1985

This file concerns the preparations for the visit of the Omani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yusif Bin Alawi Bin Abdulla to the UK. It contains memoranda and correspondence concerning:

• Arrangements for the visit
• The correct formation of Alawi’s name
• The size and composition of the accompanying delegation
• The question of whether Alawi’s wife will join him
• A visit to Scotland to visit a North Sea oil rig and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, subsequently cancelled
• Arrangements for ministerial meetings, including a call on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
• Alawi’s position as de facto Foreign Minister of Oman
• A luncheon held by the British Bank of the Middle East
• The question of including Douglas Hurd in the visit
• Alawi’s early arrival in the UK for a private visit
• Alawi’s reluctance to meet undersecretary Stephen Egerton due to his lower status
• The question of the Prime Minister receiving the Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Saeed on his private visit to the UK, and coordinating this with Alawi’s call on the Prime Minister
• HM Ambassador to Oman Duncan Slater’s return to the UK for the duration of the visit
• The guest list for the lunch held by Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe in Alawi’s honour; and the question of inviting representatives from Shell, British Aerospace and Cementation Company
• Coordinating Alawi’s visit with the visit of a delegation from the Arab League.