Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman arrived in Tunis Tuesday as part of his first regional tour since the murdering of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The prince was welcomed by Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi when he arrived at the airport in Tunis from Cairo, the presidency said, and he left immediately for talks with Essebsi at Carthage Palace, the presidential seat. The presidency only invited photographers to cover his visit and said it will not hold a news conference, a usual event at top visits.
The crown prince's visit is the first by a Saudi royal to Tunisia since the 2011 revolution deposed longtime dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the central Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis, scene of the mass protests that toppled Ben Ali, on the second day of demonstrations against the Saudi prince.
Saudi Arabia has faced intense global criticism over the killing of Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2. He was reportedly dismembered in what Saudi Arabia said was a "rogue" operation, but CIA analysis leaked to the U.S. media pointed the finger at Prince Mohammad.
Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder.
The Saudi crown prince has also held talks in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on his first foreign tour since the Khashoggi affair erupted.
In Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi praised the "unshakable strategic alliance between Egypt and Saudi Arabia" during Prince Mohammad's visit there, the state daily Al-Ahram reported Tuesday. "The stability and security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of Egypt's security," Sisi was quoted as saying. The prince is expected to fly on to a G20 summit in Argentina at the end of his Tunisia visit.
Reuters
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