In Riyadh, Emmanuel Macron wants to re-engage Saudi Arabia in Lebanon

Shortly after his arrival late Monday in Riyadh, Emmanuel Macron began a series of meetings with the crown prince, Mohammed Ben Salman (MBS), who de facto heads the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, due to the fragile health of his father, King Salman, aged 88.

A first extended meeting brought together the two leaders at the royal palace of al-Yamama, followed by a tête-à-tête, then a working dinner with ministerial delegations from the two countries. The personal dimension is important in the relationship between the two young leaders, accustomed to face-to-face meetings which allowed them to evaluate each other.

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In Saudi Arabia, Emmanuel Macron facing the new geopolitics of Mohammed Ben Salman

The multiple convulsions in the Middle East were on the menu of their discussions. The emergency was to impose the situation in Syria, where the lightning offensive of the rebels, dominated by Islamists, who recaptured Aleppo, the country's second city, this weekend, has reshuffled the cards.

With regard to the Syrian president, Bashar el-Assad, Paris and Riyadh are not entirely…