The United States house of representatives voted Friday to pass a bill that would allow the families of victims of the 11 September terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia’s government for damages.
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The White House, however, has indicated that President Barack Obama will veto the proposed law, citing concerns that the move will make American citizens overseas vulnerable to legal action, The Guardian reported.
US President Barack Obama now has 10 days to veto the legislation.
The Obama administration cautions that if US citizens can take the Saudis to court, then a foreign country could in turn sue the United States.
The legislation was passed by a voice vote in the chamber four months after it was approved by the senate and is symptomatic of a growing desire in Washing to re-examine it’s alliance with the oil-rich kingdom which has, for decades, been treated as America’s untouchable ally.
The legislation gives victims’ families the right to sue in USA court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks.
If Obama carries out his veto threat and the required two-thirds of both the Republican-majority House and Senate still support the bill, it would be the first time since Obama’s presidency began in 2009 that Congress had overridden a veto. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, which was preparing for the annual haj pilgrimage beginning Saturday.
“The president of the United States continues to harbor serious concerns that this legislation would make the United States vulnerable in other court systems around the world, ” Earnest said. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., another sponsor, said foreign governments can not look the other way if terrorist activities are being plotted or launched from their countries. But Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir denied in May that the kingdom made any threats over the bill. But his accusations revived debate over whether the Obama administration should release a still-classified 28-page section of the 9/11 Commission Report.
Opponents of the measure said it could strain relations with Saudi Arabia and lead to retaliatory laws that would allow foreign nationals to sue Americans for alleged involvement in terrorist attacks.
The Senate passed the bill in May by voice vote despite vehement objections from Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the Middle East.
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The legislation has also drawn criticism from the Saudi government.
