Saudis rebuff US vote but Canada poses new backlash

Saudi Arabia has rejected a US Senate resolution to end US military support for the kingdom, but faced a new backlash as Canada said it plans to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Riyadh.

According to Press TV, the US Senate unanimously voted last week to hold Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) accountable for the murder of journalist and critic Khashoggi and halt Washington's assistance to the Saudi war in Yemen.

"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," Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Riyadh is heartened by US President Donald Trump's position that Washington will continue to remain a "steadfast partner" of the kingdom no matter what.  

Trump and his senior administration officials have claimed that no "direct evidence" links the Saudi leader to the killing despite the CIA's conclusion that the Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi's assassination. 

Trump has admitted that MbS may have known about the killing, but stressed that he has no intention of cancelling $110 billion in military contracts with Riyadh.

"And implicit in Trump’s justifications for not holding the Saudi royals accountable is the idea that it’s simply not worth the sacrifice — that Saudi Arabia has too much leverage through its arms deals and control of the world oil supply," the Washington Post wrote. 

The Senate resolution also calls the war in Yemen a "humanitarian crisis" and requires the president to withdraw any troops in or "affecting" Yemen within 30 days "unless they are fighting al- Qaeda."

It is unclear whether the House will consider the measure. The lower chamber would have to approve it before it can be sent to the White House for Trump's signature. 

Trump has vowed to veto it. If vetoed, the bill would go back to the Senate, where only a two-thirds vote can override a presidential veto.

On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has had rocky relations with Trump, said he was looking into ways to cancel the largest arms deal in Canadian history worth US$11.5 billion.

"We inherited actually a (Can)$15 billion contract signed by (former Prime Minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said.

"We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added.

Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties."

In an interview with CBC Radio in October, Trudeau said the penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Can$1 billion. 

Trudeau has been criticized by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract.

As evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's killing, Canada in late November imposed sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to the "abhorrent and extrajudicial" murder.

ME