The White House signaled Monday that President Obama would veto legislation that would open the door for litigation against Saudi Arabia by families of 9/11 victims.
The bipartisan bill has yet to make it to the Senate floor, but already has triggered outrage in Riyadh and threatens to further strain ties between Washington and its long-standing Persian Gulf ally.
“Given the long list of concerns I have expressed . . . it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the president would sign the bill as it’s currently drafted,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, according to The Hill newspaper.
“A country with a modern and large economy like Saudi Arabia would not benefit from a destabilized global financial market, and neither would the United States.”
But Earnest stressed that the administration’s concerns about the law were not just about Saudi Arabia.
“The concern that we have is simply this: It could put the United States and our taxpayers and our service members and our diplomats at significant risk if other countries were to adopt a similar law,” he said.
Obama will arrive in Riyadh Wednesday and hold meetings with King Salman and other Saudi officials. It is not clear whether the legislation will be part of the discussions.
With Associated Press