(Recast) UAE raises concern about U.S. bill that allows 9/11 victims' families to sue Saudi Arabia

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday expressed concern over a bill adopted by the U.S. Congress that would allow 9/11 victims' families to sue the government of Saudi Arabia.

The legislation "represents a clear violation given its negative repercussions and dangerous precedents," state news agency WAM quoted UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan as saying in Abu Dhabi.

The minister said that the bill, adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives last Friday, months after the Senate approved the measure in May, was "not equal" with the foundations and principles of relations among states.

The bill, which would allow families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to take legal actions against Saudi Arabia, a UAE neighbor and close political ally, is contrary to general liability rules and the principle of sovereignty enjoyed by states, the minister said.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers involved in the terror attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, outside Washington and in Pennsylvania, were Saudi nationals.

The government of Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. ally, has denied responsibility and expressed strong objections to the legislation.

Al-Nahyan, the top UAE diplomat, expressed the hope that the U.S. law would not be implemented, taking into consideration its "serious consequences."

The White House has said that President Barak Obama would veto the bill, arguing that the legislation could harm Washington's relationship with Saudi Arabia and put U.S. officials stationed overseas in jeopardy. Endit