Washington – The Saudi Arabian government has threatened to sell of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets should the U.S. Congress pass a bill that could hold the kingdom responsible for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the New York Times reported on Friday.
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The newspaper reported that Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told U.S. lawmakers last month that “Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in Treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.”
The bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year, would take away immunity from foreign governments in cases “arising from a terrorist attack that kills an American on American soil.”
The New York Times, citing administration officials and congressional aides, said “the Saudi threats have been the subject of intense discussions in recent weeks between lawmakers and officials from the State Department and the Pentagon.”
It added that the Obama administration had lobbied Congress to block the passage of the bill.
The State Department said it stood “firmly with the victims of these acts of violence and their loved ones.”
“We remain committed to bringing to justice terrorists and those who use terrorism to advance their depraved ideology,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
In September a U.S. judge dismissed claims against Saudi Arabia by families of victims of the attacks, saying that the kingdom had sovereign immunity from damage claims by the families and from insurers that covered losses suffered by building owners and businesses.
The Saudis sound like that kid in the playground that always threatened to take his ball & go home.
Hmmmmm now what would these towel heads be afraid of?
With “friends” like these,…..
This is a good time thing …..all this foreign investment just drives up prices and whennit clapses the little guy looses out
Right now, the Saudis have no fear. Obama, the suited terrorist is still in power. Congress can legislate anything they please. Obama sees Congress as an obstacle, and he will give executive orders to cancel out whatever they do as representatives of the US population. There has never been an act of terror that Obama decried or tried to exact justice. The terrorists are viewed by him as a gift to humanity, and he will protect them as much as he can. No difference whether we are dealing with the Saudi government, Iran, Hamas, etc. He loves them all. He needs to be banished into oblivion. We need to pray that he has zero influence on politics after he leaves office, and that the successors work hard to reverse the damage he has done.
If a bill came close to becoming law that would make your accounts subject to seizure you would be nuts not to transfer your money someplace safer. It is hardly a “threat” at all. Who wouldn’t make such a move?
“Right now the Saudis have no fear, Obama….” Really? Than why are they threatening to sell Billions of assets? They are very scared of Obama regardless of your opinion on the President.
So they will make a fire sale, prices will go and everyone will rush to snap them up. The US dollar will go up and imports will be cheaper.
What great friends we have in Saudi Arabia.
good idea. invest money in russuan bonds