Riyadh — The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which was passed recently by the US Congress, violates the principles of international law and all international norms as well as the principle of sovereignty of states enshrined in the UN Charter, Minister of Justice Walid Al-Samaani has said. He said that by passing this bill, the US Congress has assumed that the US judiciary is the center of prosecution in the world where the states shall be treated as individuals. The bill will create a dangerous precedent and a serious breach of the rules and basic principles of the international law, Al-Samaani said. He said the JASTA will trigger chaos in international relations and affect mutual trust among states and dent international cooperation. He also hoped that the US Congress would listen to the saner voices calling for reconsidering this act. The bill summary says that it will amend the law "to narrow the scope of foreign sovereign immunity by authorizing US courts to hear cases involving claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damages that occur inside the United States as a result of a tort, including an act of terrorism, committed anywhere by a foreign state or official." The Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab states have also expressed deep concern about the bill. The act runs contrary to the established principles of international law, especially that of sovereign equality among states, enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the GCC Secretariat said in a statement. "The GCC considers the US act conflicting with the basis and principles of relations among states and the principles of sovereign immunity, established in international laws and norms," GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani said. In Doha, Qatar said that it expressed its concern regarding the US Senate's passing of the bill. The head of the media office in the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the piece of legislation violates international law, particularly the principle of sovereign equality between states, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan also expressed the UAE's concern about the US Congress adopting the law.
