VISITING French President Jacques Chirac has praised Saudi reforms overnight, and urged respect between Islam and the West in a charm offensive that may win contracts from the world's biggest oil exporter.Addressing Saudi's consultative Shura council, which reformers hope
| "See how progressive we are, we even allow infidels to talk to us. We don't listen, but we let them talk." |
Saudi Arabia last year held limited though pioneering elections for half the seats to local councils. But since the new king took power in August, creating an atmosphere of openness in the conservative Muslim country, women have been elected to key business bodies.
Mr Chirac is accompanied on the three-day trip by about 15 business leaders and his economy, defence, foreign affairs and trade ministers, as well as experts on the Arab world. The trip ends on Monday. The delegation includes the heads of Dassault Aviation , the maker of Rafale jets, and French defence electronics company Thales , which has been chasing a deal for more than a decade to supply Riyadh with border security equipment worth $8.5 billion.
There has been no word of any deals clinched so far, but Thales Chairman and Chief Executive Denis Ranque said he was confident even if the "Miksa" deal is not concluded now. "It is a question of timing, I am still confident. The prospective customer exists, the contract will exist but it is taking more time than planned," Mr Ranque told reporters.
Other business leaders include the chief executives of Total , Alstom and Alcatel. Mr Chirac urged greater tolerance and respect after violent protests in recent weeks over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which were first published in a Danish newspaper but have been reprinted in many countries, including France. "We must now, more than ever, embrace global values that form our common existence. We must cultivate all opportunities for dialogue to avoid misunderstandings," he said. "With globalisation, everything is known immediately and everywhere. We are no longer isolated, each one in their own country."
| "Please! We want your business! Don't hold those Danes against us!" |