Saudi fury as US Senate passes 9/11 bill

The US Senate has passed legislation allowing September 11 victims and their families to sue other countries for their roles in the attacks, defying White House objections and reported threats by Saudi Arabia to sell its US debt holdings.

The move comes a day after the US Treasury disclosed the size of Saudi Arabia’s stake for the first time in 41 years — putting its debt holdings at $116.8-billion (about R1.84-trillion).

The house would need to pass the measure to send it to President Barack Obama, who has expressed opposition to the bill, S2040.

“The administration to oppose this legislation,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said after the vote. The administration may seek additional changes to the measure or try to get it killed in the house, Earnest said.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said he would vote to override a veto and predicted enough Democrats would join to get the necessary two-thirds majority.

The New York Times reported last month that Saudi officials threatened to sell $750-billion of treasuries and other assets in the US if Congress passed the bill.

Saudi Arabia is making “a hollow threat,” Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No 2 Senate Republican, said on Tuesday.

“They are not going to suffer a huge financial loss in order to try to make a point.”

The White House is also working to release a redacted version of a portion of a report on the September 11 attacks that addresses the reported involvement of foreign governments.