Legislation punishing Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses and criticising Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been introduced into the US Congress.
The bill is the latest effort by US lawmakers to hold the kingdom accountable for rights abuses, including the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey and a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
It was introduced by the Republican chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch.
"The Crown Prince has frequently behaved in a reckless manner, including arresting those opposed to his rule," the bill says, adding that bin Salman's actions could "significantly harm" US-Saudi relations.
However, the Saudi Arabia Diplomatic Review Act would not block weapons sales to Riyadh, focusing instead on barring travel by many members of the Saudi royal family who work in its government, although not the king or crown prince.
Risch said his goal was legislation that addresses rights abuses, but that President Donald Trump would sign. "This is an honest effort to get a bill that can pass and become law," he told reporters.
Although Trump's fellow Republicans hold a Senate majority, the chamber last month defied him by voting to block $8 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries.
A handful of Republicans joined Democrats to pass resolutions opposing the sales, rejecting Trump's decision to sidestep Congressional review of such deals by declaring an emergency over threats from Iran, although with too few votes to override a presidential veto.
Trump views weapons sales as an important generator of jobs and Saudi Arabia as a necessary counterweight to Iran's influence in the Middle East. He has promised to veto all 22 resolutions of disapproval.
Risch's bill calls for a "comprehensive review" of Washington's relationship with Saudi Arabia and a peaceful resolution of the war in Yemen.
Australian Associated Press
