Macron’s agenda in the desert kingdom includes an interview today with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
It is the first head of state of a Western nation to visit Saudi Arabia since the murder in Turkey of journalist Yamal Kashoggi and the opening, after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The analysts assure that the topics of dialogue contemplate Iran and the nuclear issue and Lebanon, with the hope that the visitor will manage to attenuate Riyadh’s position with respect to Beirut.
Before leaving Dubai, Macron said that Saudi Arabia, the most influential in the Gulf Cooperation Council, held the key to preserving peace and stability in the Middle East.
Representatives of some 100 French companies, including TotalEnergies, EDF, Thales and Vivendi, accompany the president on this tour.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, Agnes Callamard, indicated that the visit of the French president contributes to rehabilitating the deteriorated image of Bin Salman, who is credited with the intellectual responsibility for the murder of Kashoggi.
“It pains me that France, the country of human rights, is the instrument of this policy,” he emphasized.
msm / arc
