Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have called for a swift end to the political vacuum in Lebanon, the Elysee Palace said on Friday after a meeting between the two leaders. The war in Ukraine was also discussed.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a luncheon for “MBS”, nicknamed the young (37) de facto leader of the wealthy oil empire.
The situation in the Cedars country, where Riyadh retains an important influence, was at the center of the debates after the new failure of the Lebanese parliament to elect a president.
The president’s eight-month absence “is a major obstacle to the solution of the severe socio-economic crisis” in Lebanon, the French president noted in a press release issued after the meeting.
Emmanuel Macron and the Saudi prince recalled their “shared commitment to security and stability in the Near and Middle East” and “marked their willingness to continue their joint efforts in favor of a permanent de-escalation of tensions,” the French president said.
It will be the prince’s second visit since July 2022, sparking outrage from human rights defenders and the French left.
MBS returned to Paris for the first time since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination in Turkey in 2018, which was attributed specifically to the crown prince by US intelligence, and which earned him a sulphurous reputation in the West.
The Ukraine issue was also discussed on Friday as Emmanuel Macron tried to convince emerging nations to condemn Russia’s invasion.
The Elysée indicated that the French president expressed to the Saudi prince “his deep concern about Russia’s war of aggression (…), its devastating impact on civilians and its consequences on food security”.
On a bilateral level, France is ready to help Saudi Arabia “strengthen its security capabilities” and French companies want to continue to support the implementation of its “ambitious Vision 2030” broad reform plan.
A moving environment
“This meeting is important for both sides in the changing international and Middle Eastern environment,” said Professor Ziad Majeed of the American University of Paris.
France, “the only Western player to maintain relations with Iran while being an ally of the Gulf monarchies”, has been trying “for some time” to return to the Middle East scene, he explains to AFP.
MBS has clearly positioned himself as a supporter of regional order and stability, even if that includes “counter-sanctions,” the professor adds.
Witness the fate of seven young Saudis sentenced to death for “so-called crimes” committed as minors, according to Amnesty International. According to the NGO, the youngest was 12 years old at the time of the events.
Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty France, said Emmanuel Macron must do “everything” to save their lives. Élysée recalled in this way that France was opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.
Influence in Lebanon
Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf monarchies, could financially support Lebanon, which is mired in a historic crisis, while Europeans focus on Ukraine.
But for Amnesty International, demanding Riyadh is “absolutely counterproductive”. “Not because they have money, but because we can ask them to invest in the country whose prime minister they kidnapped,” Agnes Callamard said.
In 2017, Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation from Riyadh, accusing the Lebanese political class of holding him hostage. The intervention of France got him out of trouble.
Emmanuel Macron’s new special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was absent during Friday’s meeting at the Elysée.
Economic interests
Ahmed Benjhemsi of the NGO Human Rights Watch also condemned the visit.
“It saddens me to shake hands with a leader who has been proven responsible for the barbaric killing of a journalist and acts as if nothing happened,” he notes.
MBS plans an extended stay in France, where he owns several mansions, including a lavish castle in Louveciennes, near Paris.
In particular, he wants to protect the kingdom’s economic interests and push his bid for the 2030 Universal Expo with support from Paris. He attends the official nomination reception.
He will also participate in a summit on a new global financial deal organized by the Elysee on June 22 and 23.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
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