Saudi Arabia on Sunday rejected as “interference” a US Senate resolution to end American military support for the Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi.
“The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was built on untrue allegations and affirms a total rejection of any interference in its internal affairs,” the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on the official Saudi Press Agency.
Though largely symbolic, the US Senate vote on Thursday dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly signalled his backing for the Saudi regime even amid a mounting uproar over the Yemen conflict and the slaying of journalist Khashoggi.
TRT World speaks with James Farwell, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, for his views over why Riyadh still hasn’t named the person who ordered the killing.
US Senate on Yemen war
On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the president’s prerogative to launch military actions, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained.
Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military’s role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Houthi rebels.
Then, in a voice vote with no opposition, the Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi’s murder and calling Prince Mohammed bin Salman “responsible” for it.
The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump.
But the Senate votes sends a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh.
#Statement | KSA rejects the position expressed recently by the U.S. Senate, which was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom’s internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom’s regional and international role pic.twitter.com/smA8kbQQGB
— Foreign Ministry (@KSAmofaEN) December 16, 2018
‘Significant negative impact’
The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any “disrespect” of its rulers.
“This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship,” the ministry said.
“The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any… significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship.”
Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
The murder has tarnished Riyadh’s international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals.
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a “credible” probe into the murder.
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