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US House votes to ban aid to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives voted on Friday to prohibit any aid to Saudi Arabia as lawmakers accused the country of religious intolerance and bankrolling terrorist organisations.

The prohibition, reflecting persistent tensions with the kingdom since 9/11, was attached to a foreign aid funding bill for next year that has not yet been debated by the Senate. A spokesman for the Saudi embassy declined to comment on the legislation.

In the past three years, Congress has passed bills to stop any US aid to Saudi Arabia, only to see the Bush administration circumvent the prohibitions. Now, lawmakers are trying to close loopholes so that no more US aid can be sent to the world’s leading petroleum exporter.

“Saudi Arabia propagates terrorism. We all know that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi,” said Representative Shelley Berkley. Lawmakers also complained that with Saudi Arabia’s vast wealth from oil revenues, US taxpayers do not need to subsidise training Saudis by funding them.

The US State Department has routinely criticised Saudi Arabia for religious intolerance, disenfranchisement of women and arbitrary justice. UN committees and groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also been critical of the Saudi legal system. Riyadh tends to dismiss the criticism by saying it follows the traditions of Islamic law.

Despite the efforts by the lawmakers to cut off aid, the United States has had a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia in terms of energy and security. But recently Saudi King Abdullah has asserted a more robust leadership role in the Middle East, putting himself at odds with Washington over Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. reuters

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