French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to a one-on-one luncheon meeting at the Elysee Palace on Friday. This visit is expected to be longer and the talks more multifaceted than during the crown prince\u2019s previous trip to Paris in July last year. It will provide the two leaders with an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and the latest developments in numerous issues of common interest. Additionally, the crown Prince\u2019s visit will be punctuated by several other events, most notably an International Bureau of Expositions meeting, and a summit organized by France to discuss a new Global Financing Pact. It also follows the recent announcement of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, an event that caught France\u2019s attention. The Elysee responded to it by saying \u201cthere is in this normalization of diplomatic relations with Iran a potential for easing tensions in the region that must be verified.\u2019 In the view of the French, \u201cthe issue is not so much the normalization of relations with Iran but the demonstration of what Iran and Saudi Arabia together can make of this normalization on certain subjects where the two countries have so far been opposed.\u201d Therefore, the meeting offers a chance to review the effects this normalization could have on the main issues of common interest between France and Saudi Arabia, in particular the situations in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and the ongoing saga of the Iran nuclear deal. Regarding Lebanon, Paris indicated it had \u201cheard the Saudis repeatedly say that this country was lost due to the domination of Hezbollah or Iran\u2019s influence,\u201d and France \u201cwants to clarify this point and, without taking sides, make sure that the Saudis can engage with the Iranians\u201d in a discussion that creates favorable conditions for the election of a president\u201d in Lebanon. With the political process in Lebanon deadlocked, and the country in the grips of a severe financial crisis, the president\u2019s office has been vacant since Michel Aoun\u2019s term ended in October last year. \u201cNeither Saudi Arabia nor France are in a mindset to do things in place of the Lebanese,\u201d the presidential palace said, instead stressing \u201cthe common need to promote stability and security\u201d in the country. On the situation in Syria, the French President \u201cwill be interested in hearing the crown prince tell him how to get President Bashar Assad to comply with a number of Saudi demands, the details of which are not yet known,\u201d the Elysee said. Iran\u2019s nuclear program will also be discussed as \u201cit is important for us to hear the crown prince’s assessment of the intensity of the Iranian threat as he perceives it and what he expects from the restoration of diplomatic relations, as well as how he intends to deal with the Iranians on this issue.\u201d Outside of the region, the war in Ukraine will not be overlooked despite the density of topics on the agenda. On this issue, Paris said it \u201cdoes not have specific requests to make to Saudi Arabia, apart from the request made to all our partners to fully consider the fact that the war in Ukraine is a conflict with global implications and risks repercussions throughout the world, including the Middle East.\u201d It added: \u201cWhat we ask the Saudis, like all our partners, is to help us speed up the end of the war,\u201d which from a French viewpoint would mean victory for Ukraine on the ground, leading to peace negotiations with Russia aimed at restoring Ukrainian security and sovereignty. In a broader context, the Elysee notes the crown prince\u2019s visit, which takes place at his request, \u201caims to define the objectives of bilateral cooperation that are necessary for the partnership we have with Saudi Arabia in perfectly identified areas.\u201d These areas include issues related to security and defense, and the energy transition, in particular the Kingdom\u2019s lofty ambitions in terms of energy. Regarding Saudi Arabia\u2019s bid to host the Expo 2030, a decision on which is not due until autumn next year, France has already announced its support. It remains to be revealed whether the crown prince will attend the summit, organized by France, to discuss a new Global Financing Pact, which us due to take place on June 22 and 23. During the gathering, Macron aims to assemble a broad coalition of willing countries to \u201cproduce the necessary funding shock to address both the needs of poverty reduction in the South, and as fair a green transition as possible,\u201d the Elysee said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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