PARIS: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince arrived in France on Sunday on the next leg of a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom’s austere image as he presses ahead with plans to reform the conservative petrostate.

Mohammed bin Salman rounded off a weeks-long tour of the United States with a weekend in Texas, where he met on Saturday with both former president Bushes. George H.W. Bush, 93, tweeted a photo of the prince with his son, George W. Bush.

“A wonderful chance to celebrate the long-standing friendship between our two nations”, George Bush Senior wrote, while the Saudi embassy in Washin­gton described the meeting as a “reminder of the strength and breadth of the long-standing Saudi-US partnership.”

The prince — or MBS, as he is known — travelled with his plentiful entourage from the White House to Houston via Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, embarking on what one expert called a particularly well-planned public relations campaign.

He will hold meetings with President Emmanuel Macron during his two-day official visit starting on Monday, his first trip to France as the heir to the Saudi throne.

Macron will walk a diplomatic tightrope with the young prince in talks set to focus on cultural ties and investments but also the war in Yemen, dubbed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and the kingdom’s arch-nemesis Iran.Around 18 memorandums of understanding in energy, agriculture, tourism and culture are set to be signed at an official Saudi-France CEO Forum on Tuesday, a source close to the crown prince’s delegation said.

A Franco-Saudi cooperation deal to develop Al Ula, a Saudi city richly endowed with archaeological remnants, is also expected to be a central highlight of the visit, the source added.

Aside from meetings with the French president, prime minister and trade officials, the prince is expected to visit the Paris-based tech start-up campus Station F and the Arab World Institute on Monday, the source said.

“This is not a traditional state visit,” another source close to the Saudi delegation said.

“It is about forging a new partnership with France, not just shopping for deals.” During his US visit, the prince also enjoyed a Hollywood dinner with Rupert Murdoch, where they were joined by studio bosses and actors including Morgan Freeman, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The meeting came ahead of the opening of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema — managed by American AMC Entertainment — in Riyadh on April 18.

Then, it was off to Houston to meet with the Bushes, having already met with Bill Clinton in New York. In fact, in terms of former presidents, only Barack Obama — whose terms in office marked strained relations with Saudi Arabia — was left off the agenda.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2018