But on his third bout of global diplomacy since the attacks on America the prime minister got to within three hours' flying time across the Gulf of Oman.
The Oman deal is part of a government effort to sell 100 aircraft to the Gulf region in 2013, sales which could be worth more than £6bn to UK firms, Downing Street said in a statement.
Ali has worked hard to make ends meet since trading with Oman declined.
The Saudi-based Arab News reported this week that authorities in Kuwait's ministry of health have proposed "genetic tests" aimed at detecting transsexuals who wish to enter and work in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, where the 2022 football World Cup is scheduled to be held.
Related: Four Americans held in Yemen by Houthi rebels – report Senior figures from Yemen's dominant Houthi group are holding talks with US officials in Oman to advance efforts to resolve the conflict in Yemen, the Riyadh-based Yemeni government said on Sunday.
The answer for this week's Twitter quiz is...... Muscat, in Oman.
The animals came from various places in Oman, suggesting the virus or one like it was widespread in camels across the country, said the researchers in their paper in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Oman Sail, a government organisation launched in 2008 to develop the sport in the sultanate, has its headquarters in the new marina adjoining this development.
It will also be an Olympic year, after 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, and Oman hopes its crews will qualify for the dinghy and wind-surfing events, a stepping stone on the way to its first medals in 2024.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights has said of Oman: "Torture has become the state's knee-jerk response to political expression".
I like this region, 10 years ago I was national coach to Oman, which is also a very nice place, so I know a bit about the area".
