US lawmakers criticise Saudi Arabia, ask about weapons restrictions

A senior US lawmaker said on Wednesday he was troubled by a report that Saudi Arabia transferred weapons to extremist groups in Yemen and questioned whether Congress should consider more restrictions on weapons sales to the Saudi-led coalition, says Reuters.

CNN reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, its main partner in the coalition in the Yemen conflict, have transferred US-made weapons to Al Qaeda-linked fighters and other groups and that some of the weapons also made their way into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels, exposing sensitive technology to Iran.

“These reports are very troubling and the Trump administration must investigate further and work to prevent this from happening again,” Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said at a hearing.

As a chairman, Engel has the right to review and put “holds” on major foreign weapons sales. He asked:

Should Congress pursue greater restrictions on offensive weapons to the Saudi coalition?

A State Department official said allegations of the misuse of equipment are taken seriously, adding, “We are aware of these reports and seeking additional information.”

Critical comments from Engel and other committee members were only the latest recent expressions of frustration with Saudi Arabia from US lawmakers. Members of Congress have been angered by steep civilian casualties in Yemen, human rights abuses and the killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident, at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October.

READ: US Senators move to obstruct Trump-Bin Salman nuclear deal

Late last year, lawmakers introduced various pieces of legislation seeking to put tighter controls on U.S. dealings with Riyadh, including clamping down on weapons sales, barring military cooperation with the Saudi-led coalition and calls for human rights sanctions.

President Donald Trump’s administration opposed many of the bills, calling the Saudis important regional partners and praising weapons sales as an important source of US jobs.

None of those bills became law, but Engel said the committee would continue to press for a response to casualties in Yemen, Khashoggi’s killing and the imprisonment of women’s rights activities. “It can no longer be business as usual. We need to push for a real change in Saudi behavior,” he said.

Representative Michael McCaul, the panel’s top Republican, called Khashoggi’s murder “a major setback” in the US-Saudi relationship and deplored civilian casualties in Yemen.

McCaul, however, said he opposed a proposed war powers resolution seeking to bar US military support for the Saudi-led coalition, saying it “could disrupt US security cooperation with partners around the world.”

OPINION: The US Congress is finally doing its job regarding Yemen