From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Amid rising tensions, France’s Macron announces surprise trip to Saudi Arabia
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — French President Emmanuel Macron announces a surprise trip on Thursday night to Saudi Arabia, saying he wants to speak to the kingdom’s young, assertive crown prince about Iran and the war in Yemen.
Macron says he made the decision earlier in the morning about heading to Saudi Arabia, in part over Shiite rebels in Yemen launching a ballistic missile that targeted Riyadh, the kingdom’s capital. He bluntly blames Iran for the attack, saying that while he still supports Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, a new agreement needs to be reached over Iran’s missile program.
“The missile which was intercepted by Saudi Arabia launched from Yemen, which obviously is an Iranian missile, shows precisely the strength of their” program, Macron tells journalists at a news conference held at a French school in Dubai.
Iranian state media does not immediately report the remarks. Iranian officials, while backing the Shiite rebels known as Houthis in Yemen, have denied directly arming them.
The ballistic missile launched Saturday night flew near Riyadh’s international airport before Saudi officials said they shot it down. By early Monday, the kingdom responded by closing off Yemen’s land, sea and air ports and warning Iran the rebel missile launch could be “considered as an act of war.”
“I believe it’s important that we work with Saudi Arabia for the purpose of guaranteeing stability in the region and the fight against terrorism,” Macron said.
The surprise trip to Saudi Arabia comes at the end of a two-day trip by Macron to the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.
— AP
