French environmental politician, Yannick Jadot on Thursday expressed criticism on President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to host Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to dinner in the Elysée Palace.
“Is the dismembered body of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the menu for the evening meal between Macron and MBS’’ Jadot, who contested the first round of the presidential elections earlier this year, queried on Twitter.
The member of the European Parliament said oil and weapons were on the agenda, the exact opposite of the climate chaos and peace and human rights that should be there.
No details of Thursday evening’s meeting between the French president and Saudi Arabia’s effective ruler, who is widely referred to as MBS, were released by the hosts ahead of the dinner.
The Saudi royal court said bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest would be discussed.
The meeting also came in for criticism from left-wing politicians in France and from Amnesty International.
The crown prince is currently on his first trip to the European Union since Khashoggi’s murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence has attributed the killing directly to orders issued by the crown prince, who denies responsibility.
However, Bin Salman visited Greece on Tuesday, where he met Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and discussed investment deals and defence cooperation.
After previously keeping him at arm’s length, U.S. President Joe Biden fist bumped the crown prince when the two men met in the oil-rich kingdom earlier this month.
The meeting was seen as an acknowledgement by Biden that Washington and its allies need the crown prince’s help on a range of issues, from climbing energy prices to the threat posed by Iran.
(dpa/NAN)
