Last Updated: Tuesday, 6 February 2007, 15:36 GMT
Disney park 'to open in Bahrain' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6335887.stm
[Will Mickey and Minnie soon be heading to Bahrain?]
A Saudi Arabian billionaire is in talks to open a Disney theme park in Bahrain, according to a report.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is discussing the proposed $8bn (£4.1bn) scheme with potential investors, the local al-Waqt newspaper says.
Oil prices - which trebled in the five years to July 2006 - have brought massive wealth to the region.
Kuwait Finance House, the region's second largest Islamic bank, is among those in talks, the paper said.
However the bank declined to comment and the Prince was unavailable.
'Family Entertainment'
It would not be the Prince's first foray into the world of Mickey Mouse and Goofy.
He indirectly owns 10% of Euro Disney - which operates Disneyland Paris and also struck a deal late last year to distribute Disney merchandise across the Middle East and Africa.
According to the report, a study has identified the need for a "project for family entertainment".
Disney currently has 11 theme parks including in Paris and Hong Kong, and has set its sights on Shanghai where China's economic boom has created disposable income among the middle classes.