9/11 bill under scrutiny

US President Barack Obama heads to Saudi Arabia yesterday amid tensions over congressional legislation which would potentially allow the royal government to be sued in American courts over the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The bipartisan bill has yet to make it to the Senate floor, but already it has triggered outrage in Riyadh and threatens to further poison the already strained ties between Washington and its longstanding Gulf ally.

The White House is desperate to scuttle the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which would allow the families of loved ones killed in the 9/11 attacks to sue the Saudi government.

When asked Monday about the bill during an interview with CBS News, Obama said, "exactly, I'm opposed."

The bill would essentially waive the doctrine of sovereign immunity to say that "if you basically fund and sponsor terrorist attacks on American soil you can be liable for damages," said main co-sponsor Senator John Cornyn, the chamber's number two Republican.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens. But no official Saudi complicity in the Al-Qaeda attacks has been proven, and the kingdom has never been formally implicated.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly warned it could sell off several hundred billion dollars in American assets if Congress passes the measure.

The New York Times reported Saturday that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told lawmakers in Washington last month the kingdom would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States to avoid having them frozen by US courts.

The White House said Monday Obama would veto the measure. "Our concerns about this law are not related to its impact on our relationship with a particular country," said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.