DHAKA: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince arrived in Paris Monday for talks with president Francois Hollande likely to touch on a Saudi-financed French package of arms for Lebanon and the wider jihadist threat in the region.

Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, who is also deputy prime minister and defense minister, will meet Hollande on Monday and will be treated to an official dinner at the Elysee presidential palace.

The two are likely to touch on a US$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.

Prince Salman is also due to meet foreign minister Laurent Fabius on Wednesday for talks over the situation in Iraq and Syria, where Islamic State (IS) jihadists have seized swathes of territory and are terrorizing Christians and other minorities, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1952 HRS, SEP 01, 2014