Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Riyadh and meeting with bin Salman has provoked a backlash in legal circles, as Macron has turned France into a tool for crediting and reviving the Saudi Crown Prince.
Amnesty International Secretary-General Anis Kalamard lamented the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
As Special Rapporteur on Illegal and Arbitrary Executions at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kalamard investigated the October 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashgeji and called for a boycott of the Saudi Crown Prince. The CIA also declared him a supporter of Khashgeji’s assassination.
The French newspaper Le Monde quotes Calamard as saying that the French move is part of a policy to restore the Saudi Crown Prince’s reputation. It is very sad that Emmanuel Macron, as head of state, supports such people. He uses France as a human rights country as a tool to achieve this policy.
Kalamard says: In recent months, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has tried to improve his image with various plans and actions, such as the purchase of the English Newcastle football team. This is the first time that a major power has played a role in accrediting Saudi Arabia in this way.
He emphasizes that the Saudi Crown Prince was not tried in the Khashkchi case. Saudi Arabia sentenced the perpetrators to 20 years in prison, and Muhammad bin Salman was acquitted of all responsibility for Khashgechi’s assassination. But in the West, too, he was despised and hated, and this was the result of the efforts of civil society and human rights defenders, who believed that he should pay the price for his work. Unfortunately, Macron’s meeting with Bin Salman thwarted all these efforts.
It seems that there are political and economic goals behind the French President’s periodic visit to the Persian Gulf region, which began on Friday, December 3, 1400, and he also sought the reason for the meeting between Macron and Bin Salman on this issue. During his trip, Macron is trying to reach trade deals and introduce his country as a balancing force in the Middle East’s cases and crises in the region.
During his tour of the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Macron explored key strategic issues in the region, such as the Lebanese crisis, the Libyan election, the fight against terrorism and extremism.
During a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Macron signed an agreement under which the UAE purchased 80 French Rafael fighter jets worth $ 17 billion and 12 Caracal helicopters.
The President of France believes that this is a great achievement for the strategic partnership between the two countries. The deal is the largest foreign demand for French fighter jets since 2004.
The resignation of Lebanese Intelligence Minister George Qardahi appears to be the result of Macron’s intention to mediate in the Lebanese crisis with Saudi Arabia. Macron’s goal in this trip is to restore the country’s political, diplomatic and strategic position.
Macron’s visit to the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf comes as the final meeting of the Vienna talks between Iran and the 4 + 1 group is taking place. Macron tries to allay the fears and anxieties of Muhammad bin Salman with sweet promises.
After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Paris is trying to play a leading role in the Middle East by improving its image in the region and filling the gap of rivals. Because it is likely that the United States will leave Iraq as well.
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It is natural that in this trip we will see the sale of French weapons to Ben Salman to expand its capabilities in the war against Yemen and to shed the blood of the innocent and to support its mercenaries, because a lot of damage has been recorded for Riyadh in this war and With this support, it can win strong banana weapons.
France is also working to strengthen ties with the UAE, citing the presence of French companies and institutions at the recent Expo in Dubai as part of Paris’ efforts to move closer to Abu Dhabi.
Macron is trying to reach some deals in market and technology development, including the high-speed train that sets France apart from its competitors and alternative energy projects such as solar and wind energy.
Macron’s trip to the Middle East comes as France prepares for next year’s presidential election. For this reason, it can be said that there are economic and social issues behind this trip by attracting capital from the Arab countries of the Middle East.