Saudi cabinet urges US congress to reconsider law on 9/11 attacks

Riyadh, Oct 4: The Saudi cabinet on Monday urged the US Congress to reconsider a law allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, warning of "grave consequences."

The cabinet said that the adoption of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) is of great concern to the international community, Xinhua quoted Saudi acting Minister of Culture and Information Essam bin Saad bin Saeed as saying.

The international relations are governed by the principle of equality and sovereign immunity, which has been in place for hundreds of years and the weakening of the sovereign immunity affects negatively all countries, including the United States, he added.

The controversial bill was pushed forward on the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks as some US politicians are pushing for the right of the families of the victims to sue Saudi Arabia for compensations, a matter that was strongly rejected by the kingdom and its allies.

Last week, the US Senate overwhelmingly rejected President Barack Obama's veto of the legislation.

According to US reports, a lawsuit was filed this week against Saudi Arabia.

IANS