Mr. Macron is on an express tour of the Gulf.

He is expected in this large Saudi port city the day after a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

He will be one of the first Western leaders to meet with "MBS" since the 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul.

The image of the crown prince internationally has been strongly tarnished by this affair.

The head of state deemed it necessary on Friday to speak to Saudi Arabia, "the first Gulf country in terms of size", in order to be able "to work for the stability of the region".

But that "does not mean that we are complacent", he assured, alluding to this assassination.

"I note that Saudi Arabia organized the G20 in the following year (the Khashoggi affair) and I did not note that many powers boycotted the G20", he added.

"We have always been clear on the subject of human rights or this matter."

Lebanese crisis

In front of MBS, he intends in particular to plead the cause of Lebanon where the economic crisis was worsened by the diplomatic crisis which began in October with several Gulf States, foremost among which Arabia, which had frozen its imports.

These efforts should take advantage of the resignation, announced Friday, of the Lebanese Minister of Information George Kordahi, at the origin of the crisis for having criticized the military intervention of Riyadh in Yemen.

Welcoming this resignation, Emmanuel Macron expressed his hopes of "being able to re-engage all the Gulf countries in the relationship with Lebanon".

French President Emmanuel Macron and the Emir of Qatar in Doha, December 3, 2021 Thomas SAMSON AFP

He has indeed been very involved for a year in helping Lebanon come out of the worst socio-economic crisis in its history.

Relations between Beirut and the Arab Gulf states have grown strained in recent years due to the growing influence of pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

"France has a role to play in the region (...) but how do you want to work for the stability of the region, how do you want to deal with Lebanon and deal with so many subjects while ignoring the first Gulf country in terms of geography and of size ", underlined the French president.

The United Arab Emirates signed on Friday, on the first day of the presidential trip to the Gulf, an agreement to acquire 80 Rafale fighter jets - a record order for the fighter plane that entered service in 2004 - for 14 billion euros .

Other military contracts (helicopters and armaments) pushed the total to 17 billion.

After Dubai where he met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, the French president went to Qatar to meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani.

Complaint in Paris

At the same time of this presidential trip, a complaint was filed Friday in Paris with the constitution of civil party against the heir princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in particular for the financing of terrorism.

The plaintiffs, victims of the war in Yemen, accuse these two countries of having forged an "alliance" with the jihadist group Al-Qaeda, explained their lawyer Joseph Breham.

French President Emmanuel Macron with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Dubai on December 3, 2021 Thomas SAMSON AFP

Saudi Arabia, an ally of the United States, has been intervening in Yemen since 2015 at the head of a military coalition in support of the government against the Houthi rebels, politically supported by Iran, enemy of Washington and regional rival of Riyadh.

The Emirates withdrew their troops from Yemen in 2019 but remain members of the coalition.

The Saudi authorities have not followed up on AFP's requests at this stage.

Also contacted, the Emirati power had no immediate comment to make.

© 2021 AFP