Saudi ‘concerned’ over US state sponsors of terror bill

By Ahmed al-Masri

RIYADH (AA) – Saudi Arabia has expressed its "serious concern" over proposed legislation in the U.S. that would allow the victims of terrorist attacks to sue the foreign governments deemed responsible.

"The adoption of such a law is a source of great concern to countries that object to the notion of weakening sovereign immunity, the principle that has guided international relations for hundreds of years," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted a Saudi Foreign Ministry source as saying late Thursday.

The source went on to point out that the U.S. administration itself objected to the bill.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of overriding President Barack Obama’s veto of the proposed legislation.

Entitled the "Justice against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act", the bill is supported by the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington who hope to sue the Saudi government for its alleged role in the attacks.