Paris Soir - France's Macron lands in Riyadh on surprise 'solidarity' visit

The unannounced trip sends a strong signal to his oil-rich Saudi ally as Riyadh comes under near-daily attack.

It was part of a Gulf tour to secure oil and diesel and bring down prices in France, following a weekend of violent protests over soaring living costs.

Faced with criticism of his Gulf tour in France, Macron told reporters he was just "doing his job" in a bid to "ease tensions" over gas prices, one of the causes of social unrest in France.

"There must be no sign of febrility," he said. "I am fulfilling my role. I am at my post."

The presidential jet landed in Riyadh, an AFP journalist saw, where he was set to meet Saudi de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.

"The president of the republic is travelling to Saudi Arabia this afternoon to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," a statement from the presidency said earlier.

The visit aimed to "demonstrate France's solidarity with the kingdom in the face of the attacks carried out by the Houthis against its territory, and to continue efforts undertaken on securing and diversifying hydrocarbon supplies", it added.

In recent weeks, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have reached an unprecedented scale, forcing Riyadh airport to shut and the postponement of a major investment conference.

A Houthi maritime blockade is also threatening oil exports from the kingdom.

Macron's visit comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to rally Western support in the face of Houthi attacks.

- 'Personnel deployed' -

Earlier Wednesday, Macron said France had sent troops to help shield the key Saudi oil terminal of Yanbu on the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, while insisting it was important "discussions resume" with the group.

"For the past eight days, we've had personnel and capabilities deployed (in Yanbu); we're working with Saudi Arabia in this direction, and so we have a defensive role to play," he told reporters in the Qatari capital.

The world's biggest crude exporter had been relying on Yanbu to export its oil, after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war.

Last month, Macron said in a televised interview that France would send "military means" to help shield the Yanbu terminal from Houthi attacks.

On Tuesday, the UK government announced it would deploy British fighter planes to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against increasing attacks from Yemen's Houthis.

As part of his tour, Macron secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as two terawatt-hours per month of LNG from Qatar.

In July, a fragile 2022 truce fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen's capital Sanaa in defiance of Riyadh's control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.

Later, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before seizing government-held territory along the Red Sea coastline in a lightning campaign in September.

In response, the Saudi air force has been regularly targeting the group in support of the Yemeni government as hostilities resumed.

H.Leroy--PS