(9 Apr 2018) The crown prince of Saudi Arabia began the first full day of his official visit to France with talks with French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
France is hoping to profit from the prince's shake-up of the conservative kingdom to forge a new kind of commercial relationship.
But the prince was met by protests on Monday over the Saudi-led coalition's air strikes in Yemen to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Sylvie Brigot-Vilain, Head of Amnesty International France, called on President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Saudi Arabia's human rights record, both in its own country and in relation to the conflict in Yemen.
"President Macron has always said that he wanted to reconcile realism and human rights values and this is really the perfect opportunity here," she said.
The Saudi-led coalition has been at war with the rebels since March 2015, in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 civilians and pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine.
UN officials say the fighting has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to sign a "strategic partnership" with Macron in the Elysee Palace on Tuesday.
On Sunday the prince enjoyed a royal welcome to France, with a private dinner in the Louvre Museum hosted by Macron.
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