Saudi
Arabia’s foreign minister stressed the importance of his country’s ties to the United States recently at the World Economic
Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying that while their bond is strong, recent congressional action is misguided.
“The
U.S. and Saudi Arabia have had a historic strategic partnership, if not
alliance, since World War II; that relationship continues,” Adel Al-Jubeir said. “We expect it to broaden and deepen and grow stronger. Our
interests are aligned when it comes to the issues of the region.”
However, he also criticized the U.S. Congress for passing the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) last year. The legislation is seen as diminishing the definition of
foreign sovereign immunity.
“Our hope
is that wisdom will prevail and the Congress will do the right thing and make
the adjustments,” Al-Jubeir said. “The country that has the most to
lose from dilution of sovereign immunities is the United States itself. And
American officials know this. Because America has the largest footprint in the
world, they operate all over the world. They’re fighting wars all over the world.
They provide weapons to countries all over the world. If that principle is
eroded, then the U.S. could be sued in virtually every country in the world.”
Al-Jubeir
also discussed Iran, saying it must be held accountable for its support
of terrorism and other alleged issues. He called Iran the most
important supporter of terrorism in the region.
“Iran has supported, created and supported Hezbollah,” he said. “Iran has harbored terrorists.”
