DOHA: Qatar is open to buying stakes in part state-owned UK lenders RBS and Lloyds Banking Group and has discussed investing in Britain, Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani said Wednesday. The prime minister made the remarks during a press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Asked whether the Gulf Arab state would invest in RBS or Lloyds specifically, he replied: "We are very open to any investment in the UK and we have discussed some." Qatar has stakes in companies including retailer J Sainsbury , Barclays bank and German automaker Porsche through its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Qatar Holding, a unit of QIA, invested in contingent convertible bonds issued by Credit Suisse. Meanwhile, Energy provider Centrica, which owns British Gas, announced Wednesday it had signed a massive deal worth £2 billion (2.4 billion euros, $3.2 billion) for natural gas supplies from Qatar. The contract with Qatargas will see Centrica supply 2.4 million tonnes a year over three years to Britain. “The deal will provide enough gas to meet approximately 10 per cent of UK annual residential gas demand.”
