U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said he and Prime Minister David Cameron had urged Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister to promote “sensible dialogue” in the region.

Hague and Cameron met Prince Faisal Al Saud in London today. Saudi troops entered Bahrain last week to support the government against protestors.

“We want to work with Saudi Arabia on the solutions to these issues,” Hague told business leaders. “Working with them to promote sensible dialogue is very, very important. That’s what the prime minister and I have spent a great deal of today doing with Prince Saud.”

Hague said the protests for democracy across the Arab world were “set to overtake the 2008 financial crisis and 9/11 as the most important development of the early 21st century.” He urged leaders to talk to their people and respond to their demands.