RIYADH, 5 March 2006 — French President Jacques Chirac yesterday flew into Saudi Arabia on a three-day state visit. The president, who was accompanied by his wife Bernadette, was received at the Riyadh Air Base by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The two leaders held brief talks at the air base. Summit talks later were to cover the whole gamut of bilateral and international issues with special reference to defense cooperation, the Iranian nuclear program, Iraq, the Hamas victory in Palestinian elections and tensions between Lebanon and Syria, Western diplomatic sources said.
King Abdullah hosted a dinner banquet for the French leader before the formal talks.
On arrival, Chirac was given a military guard of honor. Top-ranking Saudi and French officials, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, were present.
More than 20 leading French businessmen are traveling with the president with a view to forge close business ties with the Kingdom and to cash in on its strong economy. France is one of Saudi Arabia’s important trade partners. French imports from the Kingdom amount to $3.6 billion annually compared to $1.5 billion in exports.
Aside from the businessmen representing major French firms, Chirac is also accompanied by his foreign, defense, economy and external trade ministers.
“Cooperation on security and fighting terrorism are also on the agenda of his talks with the Saudi leadership,” said the sources.
The visit is Chirac’s fourth to Saudi Arabia. His last trip was on Aug. 2 to present his condolences over the death of King Fahd.
“Chirac will become the first foreign dignitary to address the Shoura Council,” said Ihsan Bu-Hulaiga, a prominent Shoura member. He said “all Shoura officials and members would attend the historic address on Sunday morning.”
“I am not aware of the subjects the president would touch on, but definitely his address will cover various aspects of Saudi-French relations,” he said.
Also today, the French president will visit Al-Diriya Palace. A reception will be hosted in his honor by Riyadh Governor Prince Salman tonight.
Chirac will attend a joint Saudi-French Business Council meeting before inaugurating a high-profile exhibition of Islamic art at the Riyadh-based national museum. The exhibition, which will feature rare exhibits from the Louvre, has been organized in cooperation with the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center.
Prince Alwaleed, chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, recently donated $20 million to Louvre to fund creation of a special exhibition space for Islamic art.
The French president will meet members of the French community before wrapping up his visit tomorrow with a news conference.
Ahead of his visit, the French president was quoted by the media as denying interfering in any way in the internal affairs of Lebanon. Last month, the office of the Lebanese president accused Chirac of working with anti-Syrian political forces in a bid to oust President Emile Lahoud.
“France is not interfering in Lebanese domestic politics, nor is it interfering in Syrian domestic politics...,” Chirac was quoted as saying in the media.
