Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit France 'next week'

Rights groups have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to urge Prince Salman to halt the bombing campaign in Yemen and lift the blockade against the country.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

05 April, 2018

France is a major arms vendor to Saudi Arabia. [Getty]

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will make an official visit to France next week expected to focus on culture and investments, but also the long-running war in Yemen.

Rights groups have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to urge Prince Salman to halt the bombing campaign in Yemen and lift the blockade against the country, citing the devastating impact on civilians.

The United Nations calls the civil war the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 22.5 million people in need of aid.

Prince Salman, the 32-year-old de facto Saudi leader, "will be on an official visit Monday and Tuesday, mainly to discuss culture, tourism, investment and new technologies," a source close to the Saudi delegation said.

He is expected to arrive on Sunday, though it was unclear where he will be staying.

The New York Times reported in December that Prince Salman was the owner of the opulent Chateau Louis XIV near Louveciennes, to the west of Paris - and not far from the palace at Versailles - which was purchased in 2015.

The prince has already travelled to several Western capitals since his appointment as heir apparent last June, which has ushered in a sweeping reform drive aimed at liberalising the highly conservative kingdom.

Rights groups say the human rights situation has "deteriorated markedly" in Saudi Arabia since Mohammed bin Salman took over as crown prince.

Authorities in the kingdom have long drawn harsh criticism from rights group over the targeting of human rights activists and political dissidents.

France is a major arms vendor to Saudi Arabia and several rights groups have accused the country of doing too little to ensure that its weapons are not used in the Saudi military campaign.

Amnesty International says it has documented dozens of Saudi-led coalition military operations that could amount to war crimes due to the deaths of more than 500 civilians.