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French opposition figures and human rights groups have
criticised Macron's decision to invite to dinner at the Elysee a
man that Western leaders believe ordered the murder in 2018 of
prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
MBS's visit to Paris comes two weeks after he held talks in
Saudi Arabia with U.S. President Joe Biden. The West is keen to
reset ties with the Gulf Arab oil giant as it seeks to counter
the rising regional influence of Iran, Russia and China.
"The rehabilitation of the murderous Prince will be justified in
France as in the United States by arguments of realpolitik. But
it's actually bargaining that predominates, let's face it,"
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said on
Twitter ahead of MBS's visit.
France and other European countries are looking to diversify
their sources of energy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
which has seen Moscow cut gas supplies to Europe. Macron wants
Riyadh, the world's largest oil exporter, to raise production.
He also views the kingdom as vital to help forge a region-wide
peace deal with Iran and also as an ally in the fight against
Islamist militants from the Middle East to West Africa.
France is one of Riyadh's main arms suppliers but has faced
growing pressure to review its sales because of the humanitarian
crisis - the world's worst - unfolding in Yemen, where a
Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
Macron, who last December became the first Western leader to
visit Saudi Arabia since the Khashoggi affair, has dismissed
criticism of his efforts to engage MBS by saying the kingdom is
too important to be ignored.
The murder of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
sparked an international furore. U.S. intelligence concluded
that MBS had directly approved the murder of the Washington Post
columnist. The crown prince denied any role in the killing.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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