Saudi Arabia “greatly concerned” over 9/11 lawsuits bill

PanARMENIAN.Net - Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has said it is a matter of "great concern" that 9/11 relatives in the U.S. may be able to sue the kingdom for damages, BBC News reports.

On Wednesday, September 28 the U.S. Congress voted for a law allowing families of nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks to sue.

In doing so they overrode a veto by President Barack Obama, who said it would set a "dangerous precedent".

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers that day were Saudi nationals, but the kingdom has denied any role in the attacks.

In a statement, the country's foreign ministry said: "The erosion of sovereign immunity will have a negative impact on all nations, including the United States."

Meanwhile, leaders of the Republican party in Congress have said they want to reconsider the law. The Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell admitted that lawmakers had not understood the possible consequences of the legislation.

"Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were but nobody really had focused on the downside in terms of our international relationships,'" McConnell said.

The White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was "a pretty classic case of rapid onset buyer's remorse".