Britain's junior foreign minister Peter Hain will visit the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait for talks next week, his office said Friday.
Hain, the minister responsible for the Middle East, will fly to the UAE on Monday, and from there will travel to Kuwait on Wednesday.
In the UAE, he will call on the country's ruling families and tour Dubai's new Internet City.
In Kuwait he will meet government ministers and parliamentarians.
"Britain remains firmly committed to the security and stability of the Gulf," he said in a statement.
He said he would be holding talks on the upsurge of violence in the Middle East, including Britain's efforts to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, and on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Hain last visited the two countries in October 1999 -- LONDON (AFP)
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