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Summary David Cameron met with Saudi King Abdullah as Gulf tension increasing.
British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on Friday, as tensions soar between the West and Tehran, the oil-rich kingdoms arch-rival in the Gulf.The two leaders discussed the importance of the UK-Saudi bilateral relationship and agreed to strengthen cooperation in a range of areas, Camerons office said in a statement.They also discussed recent developments in the region, in particular their shared concerns about the situation in Syria, Iran and Yemen, it added.An uprising in Syria has left more than 5,000 people killed since March in a crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assads regime, according to a United Nations estimate last month.Yemen has also been rocked by a year of unrest in which hundreds have been killed amid fears of a growing Al-Qaeda influence across its southern and eastern provinces due to a weakening central government.Camerons first visit to the OPEC kingpin also comes as Western governments, including Britain, have moved to step up sanctions over Irans controversial nuclear programme, threatening an embargo on vital oil exports that has drawn an angry response from Tehran.Iran has threatened to shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz -- a chokepoint for a fifth of the worlds oil -- if it is attacked or if heavy sanctions are imposed.The prime minister also raised our concerns about Somalia and the problems of conflict, piracy and terrorism which threaten Somalis and the wider international community, Camerons office said.Britain has been seeking to strengthen ties with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a major market for Western arms deals, and boost exports to its largest Middle East trading partner.Annual bilateral trade is worth 15 billion pounds ($23 billion), while Saudi investments in Britain amount to more than 62 billion pounds.
