Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman David Wootton will start today a tour of a number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, at the head of a large delegation of businessmen and officials of the private sector in the United Kingdom. In a press conference held here yesterday, Lord Wootton said that during his tour which lasts until March 1, he will meet a number of officials of public and private sectors, indicating that the tour comes as part of the efforts being exerted by the United Kingdom to confirm London's position as a strategic option for the region in the financial services sector. He said, "We look at this relationship as one of partnerships in skills and expertise for the growth of financial markets in the United Kingdom and the Gulf. Close relations will support regional objectives in the areas of economic diversification, growth and infrastructures development." Lord Wootton noted that he will meet Executive President of Islamic Development Bank Group Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ali to discuss ways of strengthening relations in the fields of Islamic banking and the possibility of issuing Islamic bonds in pound sterling.
