In Khashoggi’s shadow, Macron has Saudi conversations with the Crown Prince.

By John Irish

DOHA (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, becoming the first Western leader to visit the kingdom since he assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Macron said it was essential to help Saudi Arabia sign a peace agreement with Iran for the whole region, as well as allies in the Middle East in the fight against Islamist militants in West Africa and a platform against the Muslim Brotherhood.

France is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading arms suppliers, but has come under increasing pressure to revive its sales, a Saudi-led coalition fighting Youthi rebels lined up in Iran in Yemen as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

While the relations between Paris and Riyadh were warmer during the time of Francois Hollande before Macron, France has not achieved any business results.

Relations have cooled in recent years, although Macron has asked detractors to give the 33-year-old leader an hour before the assassination of Khashoggi.

Arriving in the coastal city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, Macron shook hands with bin Salman.

They both smiled before heading into talks that included Iran’s nuclear file and Lebanon https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanon-information-minister-resigns-ease-saudi-spat-2021-12-03 , on which Macron pledged https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/macron-announces-saudi-french-initiative-solve-crisis-with-lebanon-asharq-tv-2021- 12-04 bin Salman again pledged to seek a solution to the crisis despite caution over Iran-backed Hezbollah expansion. [L1N2SP091]

On Friday, Macron dismissed allegations that he was legitimizing the crown prince, adding that he could not deal with the region’s multiple crises without ignoring the kingdom.

“We talked about everything, without any taboos, and of course we were able to raise the issue of human rights,” Macron told reporters after meeting with bin Salman.

“It was a straightforward exchange, I hope, effective. I still have the same vision of trying to keep that channel with leaders to get tangible results.”

There have been few recent contracts, most of them focused on the Al-Ula tourism project, which aims to revive the history of the Nabataean kingdom https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/archaeologists -02 / #: ~: text = AL% 20ULA% 2C% 20Saudi% 20Arabia% 2C% 20Nov, kingdoms% 20of% 20Dadan% 20and% 20Lihyan, part of Saudi Arabia’s diversification drive to eliminate its economy by deducting oil revenues.

Macron’s visit comes at a time when Arab states in the United States have expressed uncertainty about US attention in the region, even as Washington seeks more weapons.

Saudi Arabia has been frustrated by the approach of US President Joe Biden’s administration, which has pressured Riyadh for its human rights history and the war in Yemen and spread intelligence https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-saudi-khashoggi-int/ saudi-de- facto-ruler-approved-operation-that-led-to-khashoggis-death-us-idUSKBN2AQ2OA bin Salman links to the assassination of Khashoggi.

The Crown Prince has denied any involvement in the assassination of a journalist at the Istanbul Consulate in Riyadh, which has sparked worldwide outrage and tarnished the image of Prince Mohammed.

“Whether this is a goal or not, (this trip) contributes to the policy of rehabilitating the Saudi prince,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary general of the Amnesty International rights group. “It pains me that France, a country of human rights, is an instrument of this policy.”