Saudi crown prince visits France to share his 'new vision'

By Elaine Ganley Associated Press

Sunday, April 8, 2018 4:25 AM

PARIS (AP) The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is making his first official visit to France, which is hoping to profit from his shake-up of the conservative kingdom.

No big contracts are expected to be signed during the visit of Mohammed bin Salman, but a "strategic partnership" is to be announced Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron. French media say the prince arrives Sunday.

France is hoping for Saudi investments in technology, renewable energy, health and tourism. The influential crown prince is expected to visit the Paris startup incubator Station F.

Demonstrators will greet the prince with protests over the Saudi-led coalition's strikes in Yemen to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Prince Mohammed comes to France after a nearly three-week-long trip to the United States, preceded by a visit to Britain.

Saudi crown prince visits France to share his 'new vision'

FILE - In this March 22, 2018, file photo, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the Pentagon in Washington. Prince Mohammed is making his first official visit to France, which is hoping to profit from his shake-up of the conservative kingdom. French media reports say the prince arrives Sunday, April 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

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Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Allison Hay, left, speaks to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, second from left, and Khalid al-Falih, energy minister of Saudi Arabia, stand by, near a Habitat for Humanity home, Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Houston. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded a year earlier. Volunteers from the U.S.-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, had helped residents in the neighborhood clean up after the storm damage. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walks toward volunteers in front of a Habitat for Humanity home, Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Houston. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded a year earlier. Volunteers from the U.S.-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, had helped residents in the neighborhood clean up after the storm damage. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, third from left, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second from left, talk in front of a Habitat for Humanity home, Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Houston. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded a year earlier. Volunteers from the U.S.-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, had helped residents in the neighborhood clean up after the storm damage. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, right, watches a volunteer take a selfie with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, in front of a Habitat for Humanity home, Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Houston. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded a year earlier. Volunteers from the U.S.-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, had helped residents in the neighborhood clean up after the storm damage. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, third from left, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, center, pose with volunteers in front of a Habitat for Humanity home, Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Houston. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded a year earlier. Volunteers from the U.S.-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, had helped residents in the neighborhood clean up after the storm damage. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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Khalid al-Falih, energy minister of Saudi Arabia, center, introduces Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at a Habitat for Humanity home, Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Houston. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded a year earlier. Volunteers from the U.S.-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, had helped residents in the neighborhood clean up after the storm damage. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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FILE - In this March 20, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The Trump administration is signing off on selling more than $1.3 billion in artillery to Saudi Arabia. The State Department says the administration told Congress on April 5 that it plans to approve the sale. The package includes about 180 Paladin howitzer systems. The artillery-firing vehicles launch 155mm shells. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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