Investment and Iran high on agenda as France hosts Saudi crown prince

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia arrived in Paris on Sunday, a day ahead of his first official visit to France, which is hoping to profit from his shake-up of the conservative kingdom to forge a new kind of commercial relationship.

No big weapons contracts are expected to be signed during the short visit of Mohammed bin Salman, but a "strategic partnership" is to be announced on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron. 

On the agenda for his two day stay in Paris are the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and the Iran nuclear deal. He will also attend cultural events and an economic forum.

Prince Mohammed just completed a three-week visit to the United States.

A tourism project between Paris and Riyadh is expected to be announced but he is not expected to clinch any mega-deals.

The visit comes amid growing pressure on Macron at home from lawmakers and rights groups over France's weapons sales to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

France's foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who worked closely with Prince Mohammed as defence minister in the previous French government, greeted him at the airport, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Twitter.

Economic agenda 

France hopes to possibly invest in sectors like technology, renewable energy, health and tourism that Saudi Arabia wants to develop, an official with Macron's office said. 

That includes developing a UNESCO heritage desert site.

A visit to "Station F," a huge Left Bank incubator for startups, is on the crown prince's agenda.

Demonstrators will greet the prince with protests over the Saudi-led coalition's air strikes in Yemen to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels. 

Ten human rights organisations have asked Macron to demand that Saudi Arabia end the air strikes and lift a blockade aggravating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Private time in France is also on the royal schedule, although details are scarce. The royal family owns luxurious property in France, including a mansion on the Riviera.

Previous visits

Prince Mohammed comes to France after a nearly three-week-long trip to the United States, preceded by a three day visit to Britain. 

The prince ended his US travels with more than $2.3 billion in promised arms sales and $1.3 billion in artillery.

France, traditionally a major arms supplier of the Saudis, dismissed questions about big arms contracts during this trip.

"We are absolutely not disappointed" in the absence of weapons deals, the official from Macron's office insisted. 

"We want to be part of this new dimension" being developed by the crown prince, which gives way to "new cooperation, less directed toward isolated contracts and more to investments in the future."

The official was not authorised to speak publicly ahead of the visit.

Gulf dispute in talks?

The Gulf dispute with Qatar isolated by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt is not likely to be high among topics covered, if at all. 

The four countries cut off Qatar's land, sea and air routes in June over its alleged support of extremists and close ties with Iran, which Qatar adamantly denies.

A ranking Qatari official said during a recent visit to Paris that his country would welcome French mediation. The official spoke about the delicate issue on condition of anonymity.