Macron visits Riyadh amid rising Saudi-Iran tensions

World
Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron held talks late on Thursday with Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince as tensions between Tehran and Riyadh soar over crises in Yemen and Lebanon.

Macron, on his debut visit to the Middle East, flew in from a tour of the United Arab Emirates for his first face-to-face talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently launched a massive anti-graft crackdown on the kingdom's elite.

The unannounced visit comes at a time of growing friction between the Sunni kingdom and its Shia rival Iran, which are pitted on opposite sides in Lebanon and Yemen.

"I've heard some very hard positions" taken by Saudi Arabia against Iran, Macron told a news conference in Dubai before his visit, adding it was important to speak to all sides and that France had a role in making peace.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at Dubai's Chamber of Commerce in Dubai on November 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

In the wake of a failed missile attack against Riyadh airport on Saturday, which was claimed by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen, the kingdom has accused Tehran of "direct aggression."

Iran vehemently dismissed the charge that it supplied missiles to the Huthis and warned Saudi Arabia of its "might", prompting fresh acrimony between the regional heavyweights.

"The French president condemned the Huthi missile attack on Riyadh, stressing France's stand and solidarity with the Kingdom," the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

The two leaders "also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and their efforts for security and stability in the region, including joint coordination in the fight against terrorism," it added.

On Iran, Macron has repeatedly said that he wanted to keep the landmark 2015 nuclear deal despite opposition from US President Donald Trump.

US pressure to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal could push Tehran into deciding to build its own nuclear weapons, Macron told Time magazine in an interview published on Thursday.

Power struggle over Lebanon

A poster depicting Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri (left) and his father (also a former prime minister) Rafik al-Hariri is seen in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Macron and Prince Mohammed also discussed developments in Lebanon, whose prime minister Saad al-Hariri resigned in a shock announcement broadcast from Riyadh on Saturday, citing Iran's "grip" on his country and threats to his life.

Lebanon, a former French colony, has become the latest front line of the power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Thursday urged their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately and also called on them not to travel to the country, without specifying any threat.

"Due to the situation in the Republic of Lebanon, the kingdom asks its nationals visiting or living in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible, and advises its citizens not to travel there," said a Saudi foreign ministry source, quoted by state news agency SPA.

Kuwait called on "all its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately" and avoid going there as a precautionary measure, state agency KUNA reported a source at the foreign ministry as saying.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Thursday demanded the return of Hariri from Saudi Arabia, amid media reports that he was being held in the kingdom.

Meanwhile, the US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday that the US charge d'affaires in Riyadh met on Wednesday with Hariri.

She, however, declined to say where the meeting took place or to elaborate on Hariri's status. She described the talks as "sensitive, private, diplomatic conversations."

Riyadh: 201 held in anti-graft swoop

A man walks past posters depicting Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (right) and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Macron's visit comes days after Prince Mohammed launched what the Saudi government has dubbed a wide-ranging corruption crackdown, arresting dozens of members of the royal family as well as ministers and businessmen.

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday 201 people are being held for questioning over embezzlement and corruption charges worth an estimated 100 billion US dollars.

"A total of 208 individuals have been called in for questioning so far... Seven have been released without charge," the Saudi information ministry said in a statement, quoting attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb.

"The potential scale of corrupt practices which have been uncovered is very large," the statement said. "Based on our investigations over the past three years, we estimate that at least 100 billion US dollars have been misused through systematic corruption and embezzlement over several decades," it added.

Authorities have frozen the bank accounts of the accused and warned that assets related to the alleged corruption cases would be seized as state property, as the government appears set to widen the crackdown.

“Given the scale of the allegations, the Saudi Arabian authorities, under the direction of the Royal Order issued on November 4th, have a clear legal mandate to move to the next phase of our investigations, and to take action to suspend personal bank accounts,” Sheikh Saud said in the statement.

“On Tuesday, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), agreed to my request to suspend the personal bank accounts of persons of interests in the investigation,” he added.

High-profile figures, including billionaire tycoon Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, were arrested or sacked in the crackdown – just after an anti-graft commission headed by the crown prince was established.

Tillerson speaks to Saudi counterpart

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a press conference in New Delhi, India, on October 25, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has spoken to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir about the situation in Saudi Arabia, a US State Department spokeswoman said on Thursday.

In his conversation on Tuesday with Jubeir, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, Tillerson urged that the Saudi government conduct any corruption prosecutions "in a fair and transparent manner."

The Trump administration has endorsed the purge, cementing a dramatic strengthening in the relationship under US President Donald Trump that in part has been driven by both governments' determination to confront Iran's growing regional power.

“I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing….,” President Donald Trump tweeted last Tuesday, adding, “.…Some of those they are harshly treating have been ‘milking’ their country for years!”

'Western nations profiting from arms sales'

A pro-government soldier stands guard at a historical site in the northern city of Marib, Yemen, on November 3, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Since his trip to Riyadh last May, President Trump has wholeheartedly backed the Saudi king and his son and the US administration has also trumpeted its policy of securing tens of billions of dollars in arms sales from Riyadh and its regional allies.

Even French President Macron, who was earlier on Thursday in the UAE capital for the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, said the UAE has closed a deal to buy two French-made Gowind navy corvettes, built for coastal surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.

International rights group, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized Western nations for profiting from arms sales to the Saudi-led military coalition battling rebels in Yemen, in which the UAE is a key member.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have imposed a complete blockade on Yemen in the wake of the Huthi missile attack, as the UN warns that the Arab world's poorest country faces the risk of a mass famine.

6607km

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters