British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday, continuing a tour of the Gulf region aimed at maintaining the fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to maritime trade.
After meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Jeddah on Wednesday, Starmer is set to meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for further talks. He has welcomed the two-week truce but cautioned that it is still “early days.”
Meanwhile, back in London, Starmer’s foreign secretary has called for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire, dw.com reports.
“We do want to see the ceasefire extended to Lebanon,” Yvette Cooper told Sky News in the UK. “I’m deeply troubled about the escalating attacks that we saw from Israel in Lebanon yesterday.”
“We’ve seen the humanitarian consequences, the huge mass displacement of people in Lebanon,” said Cooper. “So we do strongly want to see the ceasefire extended to Lebanon.”
Cooper is expected to reiterate that message today (Thursday) together with European allies and Canada in order to underline the importance of ensuring shipping through the strait remains unhindered and toll-free.
“We should start immediately to get international shipping moving again by supporting the International Maritime Organization’s proposals to move the ships trapped in the Strait, and the 20,000 stranded seafarers,” she will tell business leaders, according to the British Foreign Office.
“The full and unconditional re-opening of the strait must be a central part not just of the current ceasefire but of the long-term future for the region,” she will add.
“The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders. Nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway.”
