Arab League says 9/11 law to strain relations

CAIRO

The Arab League has condemned a law passed by the U.S. Congress that would allow families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for damages.

In a Monday statement, the league’s Secretary-General, Ahmed Abul-Gheit, warned that the bill would sour relations if the U.S. administrations failed to veto it.

“This law is contrary to principles of the UN charter and the established rules of international law,” Abul-Gheit said.

“It is not based on international norms or principles of relations between states,” he added, going on to voice hope that the U.S. administration would veto the “flawed” law.

Earlier Monday, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the bill.

In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani said the law was “contrary to the foundations and principles of relations between states and the principle of sovereign immunity enjoyed by states.”

The law was passed by the House of Representatives last week, but the U.S. administrations has threatened to veto the measure.

If it becomes law, it would give 9/11 victims’ families the right to sue Saudi Arabia for any alleged role it may have had in the 9/11 attacks.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.

*Reporting by Khalid Ibrahim; Writing by Mahmoud Barakat