French President in Gulf to Discuss Iran, Business

French President Francois Hollande met with Saudi officials in Riyadh to discuss security issues and the developing nuclear deal with Iran. Yesterday, he became the first Western head of state to participate in a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council and his trip is part of an effort to bolster France’s position in the Gulf. Part of the intent is to ease Gulf concerns about potential Iranian ascendancy if an international nuclear agreement is signed this summer. In a joint statement on Monday, the two governments “confirmed the necessity to reach a robust, lasting, verifiable, undisputed and binding deal with Iran.” Hollande also reiterated his support for Saudi Arabia’s troubled intervention in Yemen.

“They wanted us to come so they could say to the Americans, look, we also have France: it’s up to you not to get edged out and to be here with us,” a French diplomat told Reuters. Gulf ministers will be meeting with President Obama at a summit at Camp David later this month. Hollande is also trying to move forward with billions of dollars worth in business deals with Saudi Arabia and signed a $7 billion arms agreement with Qatar earlier this week. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized the fanfare over the deal, saying, “Some American or European nation should not be proud of selling more weapons to this or that country…They create insecurity in the region and unjustly make regional countries scared of each other, preparing the ground for a weapons market.”

Netanyahu Nears Deadline to Form Government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing against the clock to form a new governing coalition by the deadline at the end of the day after his Likud Party received the plurality of votes in elections last month. Though it initially appeared Netanyahu would have an easy path to establishing a majority in the Knesset, this has been complicated by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party shifting to the opposition. The swing party in the coalition, Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home party, is driving a hard bargain and demanding the top job at the Justice Ministry.

Headlines

• Houthi forces in Yemen shelled targets in the Saudi border province of Najran, killing three people and possibly capturing Saudi soldiers; Saudi schools closed early and flights were routed away to avoid being caught in the fighting.

• Iran’s Foreign Ministry says that the Maersk Tigris, the cargo ship seized last week, will be released this week after a fine is paid.

• The United States responded to reports that Saudi Arabia is using cluster bombs in Yemen, saying it was concerned about civilian casualties and clarifying its policy that they are appropriate “against clearly defined military targets.”

• Oman is implementing an amnesty program to return illegal workers to their countries of origin without legal repercussions; Muscat has implemented previous amnesty programs in 2005 and 2010.

• Forty migrants drowned when the inflatable raft by which they were trying to transit the Mediterranean sunk before a rescue ship could reach them.

-J. Dana Stuster

CHRISTOPHE ENA/AFP/Getty Images