Saudi Arabia's crown prince arrived in Paris Monday for talks with President François Hollande likely to touch on a Saudi-financed French package of arms forLebanonand the wider jihadist threat in the region, reports The Daily Star.
Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, who is also deputy prime minister and defense minister, will meet Hollande Monday and will be treated to an official dinner at the Elysée presidential palace.
The two are likely to touch on a $3-billion package of French military equipment and arms for Lebanon's army that Riyadh has agreed to finance, as Beirut faces the threat of jihadists on its border with Syria.
Salman is also due to meet foreign minister Laurent Fabius Wednesday for talks over the situation in Iraq and Syria, where jihadists have seized swath of territory and are terrorizing Christians and other minorities.
On Thursday, Hollande rejected any cooperation with Bashar Assad whom he accused of being a "de-facto ally" of ISIS militants, after the Syrian leader's regime said it was willing to work with the international community to tackle the jihadists.
And in comments carried on national TV Saturday, Saudi Arabia's KingAbdullahwarned the West would be the next target of the jihadists sweeping through Syria and Iraq, unless there is "rapid" action.
"If we ignore them, I am sure they will reach Europe in a month and America in another month," he said in remarks quoted Saturday by Asharq al-Awsat daily and Saudi-backed Al-Arabiya television station.
Read more of this AFP report published by The Daily Star.
See also:
The 'unprecedented' danger of the IS, and why the key to its defeat may lie in Syria
European security services 'overwhelmed' by return of Syrian jihadists