French President Emmanuel Macron received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this Thursday, invited to a working lunch at the Elysee Palace, despite controversy over Jamal Khashoggi and protests from human rights activists.
Macron warmly welcomed his host, dressed in traditional Saudi garb, who is making his first visit to Europe since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey less than four years ago.
US intelligence agencies have pointed to the responsibility of the crown prince, who denies that he ordered the assassination, even admitting that he was responsible for it as a leader.
The meeting marks another step towards “improving the image” of the de facto leader of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who was visited less than two weeks ago by US President Joe Biden.
The return to the international stage of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, known as MBS, comes in the context of the war in Ukraine and rising energy prices.
In response to human rights protests against the presence of the prince in Paris, the French president said this Thursday evening that Macron will solve “the problem of human rights, as he always does with Mohammed bin Salman.”
“[Macron] fit [essa questão] in general, but I will take the opportunity to talk about individual cases,” said Palacio do Eliseu.
The French head of state’s office also emphasized that the dinner was necessary due to rising energy prices, the food crisis in the Middle East and concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.
“If, on the one hand, we want to face the consequences of these crises and have weight in the region for the benefit of all, the only way is to talk to all the actors,” the French chairman stressed.
On Thursday, two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) filed a complaint in French courts for “complicity in torture” and “enforced disappearance” in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Mohamed bin Salman.
According to Democracy Today for the Arab World (DAWN) and Judgment International (TI), the 42-page complaint alleges that bin Salman is “an accomplice of torture and enforced disappearance.” Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
“Salman’s visit to France and Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia don’t change the fact that [o príncipe herdeiro saudita] He is nothing more than a murderer,” said Amnesty International (AI) Secretary-General Agnès Callamar, who, when she was the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, led the investigation into the killing of Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
In addition to criticism from human rights groups, Khashoggi’s then-fiancee Hatice Cengiz said she was “outraged” that Macron invited Salman to dinner.
“I am outraged and outraged that Emmanuel Macron is accepting with all honors the executioner of my fiancé,” Cengiz said in a message written in French and addressed to AFP.
A Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, the journalist was killed and dismembered in October 2018 on the premises of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul when he went there to obtain documents necessary for his marriage.
Several political leftists in France also criticized the visit.
“Not at the Élysée, but at the police station, MBS should be welcomed in France,” said deputy environmentalist Aurelien Tachet, believing that the visit embarrassed Emmanuel Macron.
In the face of a condemning backlash, Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne pointed out that this did not serve to “challenge France’s commitment” to human rights.
“I think the French would not understand, in a context in which we know that Russia is cutting off and threatening to cut off the gas supply (…), which we have not discussed with countries that are precisely energy producers,” he defended.
The Saudi Crown Prince visited Athens on Tuesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation, marking the first official visit to a European Union (EU) country since the Khashoggi assassination.
The next day, Wednesday, the two countries signed agreements on maritime transport, energy, defense technology, waste management and culture.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
