(Jeddah) French President Emmanuel Macron ended his express tour of the Gulf on Saturday by launching an initiative to help Lebanon with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with whom he claims to have had a “no taboo” discussion on human rights. the man.
The reunion with the strongman of Riyadh, “MBS”, was eagerly awaited, three years after the shock caused by the assassination of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate of the kingdom in Istanbul.
“We talked about everything without any taboos. And we were obviously able to evoke the question of human rights […] and it was a direct exchange, ”said Emmanuel Macron. “The coming weeks and months will allow us to see if we move forward on this subject. ”
Riyadh had claimed that Khashoggi’s assassination was committed by Saudi agents who acted alone, but a US intelligence report accuses the crown prince of having “validated” it, an accusation forcefully rejected by Saudi Arabia.
Emmanuel Macron justified his meeting with the Crown Prince, one of the first for a Western leader since this affair, because “dialogue with Saudi Arabia is a necessity” because of its “demographic, economic, historical and religious ”.
The two leaders, reported Mr. Macron, “spoke at length” about Lebanon during their meeting at the royal palace in Jeddah (west) before calling together the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on the phone to try to find a solution. outcome of the diplomatic quarrel between Beirut and Riyadh.
“Re-engagement”
“Saudi Arabia and France want to engage fully” for a “re-engagement of the relationship” between Beirut and the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Beirut at the end of October and expelled the Lebanese ambassador following comments by Information Minister George Kordahi criticizing the military intervention led by the Saudi kingdom, at the head of a coalition, in Yemen and defending pro-Iranian Houthi rebels there.
Mr Kordahi has since announced his resignation on Friday, stressing that it was a wish of France.
Riyadh has also banned exports from Lebanon, and three other Gulf countries – Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait – have retaliated against Beirut. This further aggravated the severe Lebanese economic crisis.
MM. Macron and Ben Salmane also expressed their “desire that the (Lebanese) government can work in a normal way, meet as quickly as possible, and carry out useful reforms”, added the French president, adding that he would call on his Lebanese counterpart on Sunday. Michel Aoun.
The Saudi authorities had not communicated on this joint initiative after the departure of Mr. Macron to return to Paris.
“Useful travel”
Emmanuel Macron said he was satisfied with his tour which took him in two days to the Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“It was a useful trip” because “our presence here, in this geopolitical moment, was important,” he said, as the Gulf countries seek to diversify their interlocutors with the attention of the United States now. turned to Asia.
Its stopover in Dubai enabled it to sign a historic agreement for the acquisition by the Emirates of 80 Rafale fighter jets – a record order for the fighter plane which entered service in 2004 – for 14 billion euros. Other military contracts (helicopters and weapons) pushed the total to 17 billion euros.
In Arabia, Airbus will supply 26 civilian helicopters to a Saudi company, while Veolia has won a contract to manage Riyadh’s drinking water services, the two groups announced on Saturday.
Veolia has also extended its ties with the oil giant Saudi Aramco. It becomes its “exclusive partner” for the treatment of its industrial and ordinary waste, ie 200,000 tonnes per year in addition to the 120,000 tonnes of hazardous waste already taken care of by the French group.
In Doha, Emmanuel Macron “thanked” Qatar for having organized the evacuation of 258 Afghans from their country, now in the hands of the Taliban, and “threatened because of their commitments” or “their links with France”. These refugees must be repatriated to France after passing through the emirate.