<p> Aiming to boost his country's arms sales to oil-rich Gulf states, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has embarked on a three-day visit to the Middle East to push for the sale of as many as 100 British-made fighter jets worth billions.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Cameron, who has arrived in UAE, will promote the new Eurofighter Typhoons - which are partly made in Britain - to Saudi Arabia and Oman also.<br /><br />The British embassy tweeted that Cameron had arrived in the United Arab Emirates "for a series of meetings." It later tweeted that he had breakfasted with British troops based in the Gulf state.<br /><br />According to a statement by Cameron's office, the prime minister, after his arrival, was to accompany senior Emirati officials on an inspection of RAF Typhoons stationed at a UAE airbase as part of a training exercise.<br /><br />The visit to the UAE, to be followed by a stopover in Saudi Arabia, "signals the PM's commitment to cementing long-term partnerships with two of Britain's most important strategic allies in the Gulf," the statement said.<br /><br />UK media reports have said the trip is to give push to British defence industry.<br />According to the Daily Telegraph, any new contracts would be a significant boost for BAE Systems, the UK's flagship defence manufacturer, which last month saw merger talks with European EADS collapse after the German Government blocked the tie-up.<br /><br />"It is highly unusual for a Prime Minister to be so open about the need to win defence contracts.<br /><br />"His intervention suggests BAE and the Government think they have a good chance of persuading the UAE to buy 60 Typhoon fighter jets, even though it has engaged in protracted negotiations to buy Rafale jets from France’s Dassault.<br /><br />"It would be a major coup for BAE and its Typhoon partners EADS and Finmeccanica, after the consortium lost out to Dassault on a deal to sell 126 fighters to India earlier this year," the daily said.<br /><br />Failure to secure the India contract was one of the key motivations behind BAE and EADS's decision to attempt to formally strengthen ties through a merger, it added.<br />Oman is in talks with BAE for 12 of the Typhoon jets, with a deal due to be signed off by the end of the year.<br /><br />The Saudis are also looking to place what Downing Street sources describe as a "substantial" order for more jets on top of the 72 jets they have already acquired.<br />Cameron will be using all his persuasive skills to try to persuade the UAE to replace its current fleet of French mirage jets with Typhoons, the report said.<br /><br />If the sales push comes off, officials said the deals could be worth more than 6 billion pounds to British firms, with more benefits to companies in the supply chain.<br /><br />Britain is also keen to deepen ties with Gulf states amid growing concern about Iran's alleged attempts to develop their own nuclear weapons.</p>
<p> Aiming to boost his country's arms sales to oil-rich Gulf states, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has embarked on a three-day visit to the Middle East to push for the sale of as many as 100 British-made fighter jets worth billions.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Cameron, who has arrived in UAE, will promote the new Eurofighter Typhoons - which are partly made in Britain - to Saudi Arabia and Oman also.<br /><br />The British embassy tweeted that Cameron had arrived in the United Arab Emirates "for a series of meetings." It later tweeted that he had breakfasted with British troops based in the Gulf state.<br /><br />According to a statement by Cameron's office, the prime minister, after his arrival, was to accompany senior Emirati officials on an inspection of RAF Typhoons stationed at a UAE airbase as part of a training exercise.<br /><br />The visit to the UAE, to be followed by a stopover in Saudi Arabia, "signals the PM's commitment to cementing long-term partnerships with two of Britain's most important strategic allies in the Gulf," the statement said.<br /><br />UK media reports have said the trip is to give push to British defence industry.<br />According to the Daily Telegraph, any new contracts would be a significant boost for BAE Systems, the UK's flagship defence manufacturer, which last month saw merger talks with European EADS collapse after the German Government blocked the tie-up.<br /><br />"It is highly unusual for a Prime Minister to be so open about the need to win defence contracts.<br /><br />"His intervention suggests BAE and the Government think they have a good chance of persuading the UAE to buy 60 Typhoon fighter jets, even though it has engaged in protracted negotiations to buy Rafale jets from France’s Dassault.<br /><br />"It would be a major coup for BAE and its Typhoon partners EADS and Finmeccanica, after the consortium lost out to Dassault on a deal to sell 126 fighters to India earlier this year," the daily said.<br /><br />Failure to secure the India contract was one of the key motivations behind BAE and EADS's decision to attempt to formally strengthen ties through a merger, it added.<br />Oman is in talks with BAE for 12 of the Typhoon jets, with a deal due to be signed off by the end of the year.<br /><br />The Saudis are also looking to place what Downing Street sources describe as a "substantial" order for more jets on top of the 72 jets they have already acquired.<br />Cameron will be using all his persuasive skills to try to persuade the UAE to replace its current fleet of French mirage jets with Typhoons, the report said.<br /><br />If the sales push comes off, officials said the deals could be worth more than 6 billion pounds to British firms, with more benefits to companies in the supply chain.<br /><br />Britain is also keen to deepen ties with Gulf states amid growing concern about Iran's alleged attempts to develop their own nuclear weapons.</p>