After meeting with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler in Jeddah, French President Emmanuel Macron concluded his Gulf tour.
Following Macron’s meeting with the Qatari emir on Saturday, he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss regional stability, particularly in crisis-hit Lebanon, after emphasising that he had not overlooked Riyadh’s human rights record.
Following visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as part of a short Gulf tour, Macron arrived in Jeddah.
Since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and mutilated inside Riyadh’s Istanbul consulate in 2018, Macron is one of the first Western leaders to meet with Prince Mohammed in the kingdom.
The assassination of Prince Mohammed by Saudi operatives tainted his worldwide reputation and attracted global outrage.
Macron, on the other hand, stated that engagement with Saudi Arabia is vital in order to “work for regional stability.” “It doesn’t mean that I approve anything,” he continued, referring to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
“I note that Saudi Arabia had organised the G20 summit… not many powers boycotted the G20” despite the Khashoggi affair, said Macron.
“We have always been clear on the issue of human rights or this case.”
Although Riyadh has classified the assassination as a “rogue” operation, the US Central Intelligence Agency and a UN special rapporteur have clearly tied Prince Mohammed to the killing, an allegation that the monarchy adamantly denies.
During his talks with Prince Mohammed, Macron was anticipated to bring up Lebanon’s economic problems, which has been exacerbated by a diplomatic spat that erupted in October between Beirut and other Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which had imposed import restrictions.
The departure of Lebanese Information Minister Georges Kordahi, whose remarks on Saudi Arabia’s engagement in Yemen’s war ignited the issue, is sure to aid his efforts.
Videos of an interview Kordahi gave a month before his appointment surfaced online in October, in which he declared the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen are “defending themselves… against an external invasion.”
He also called for an end to the long-running battle, calling it “futile.”
Lebanon’s shaky government has been unable to gain international assistance, especially from wealthier Arab states.
During Macron’s stay in the UAE, the UAE inked a record 14 billion euro ($15.8 billion) contract for 80 French Rafale warplanes and committed billions more dollars in other deals.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed the deal, claiming that the UAE “played a key role in the Saudi and UAE-led coalition’s atrocity-ridden military operations in Yemen.”
According to HRW, Riyadh was the top consumer of French arms last year.
“He [Macron] should be speaking out against human rights abuses,” HRW said in a statement on Thursday ahead of the Gulf tour.
“France’s arms sales to and protection of dubious military partnerships in the name of counterterrorism and at the cost of human rights will remain a stain on Macron’s diplomatic record,” the group said.
During Yemen’s seven-year war, both Iran-backed Houthi rebels and coalition-backed forces have been accused of neglecting to protect civilians.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government was supported by a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in 2015. The UAE remains a member of the alliance, but began a military decrease in 2019.
