WASHINGTON — A U.S. government panel has recommended sanctions on
Saudi Arabia for its ban on religious freedom and funds for Islamic
violence.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said the United
States should penalize the Saudi kingdom for its violations of religious
freedom. The commission, mandated by Congress, said this could include a ban
on U.S. weapons and advanced technology exports, Middle East Newsline reported.
"As of today, no action with regard to Saudi Arabia has been announced
by the U.S. government," commission member Nina Shea said.
In its annual assessment, the 10-member commission deemed Saudi Arabia a
major violator of religious freedom. The panel said that despite U.S.
appeals, Riyad has not improved its record and remains a financier of hate
and violence toward non-Muslims.
"The government also continues to be involved in financing activities
throughout the world that support extreme religious intolerance, hatred,
and, in some cases, violence toward non-Muslims and disfavored Muslims," a
letter by the commission to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.
In 2005, the State Department agreed to the commission's recommendation
to
designate Saudi Arabia a "country of particular concern." Such a designation
could lead to U.S. sanctions, including a denial of arms export licenses to
Riyad.
Commission chairman Michael Cromartie called on the administration to
take "aggressive action" against Saudi Arabia. Cromartie cited such options
as export and travel restrictions.
"The U.S. government should order the heads of appropriate U.S.
agencies, pursuant to section 405[a][13] of IRFA, not to issue any specific
licenses and not to grant any other specific authority for the export of any
item on the U.S. Commerce Control List of dual-use items [Export
Administration Regulations under part 774 of title 15] to any agency or
instrumentality of the government of Saudi Arabia that is responsible for
committing particularly severe violations of religious freedom," the report
said.
In 2004, the report said, the U.S. Commerce Department approved $67
million worth of such security items for Saudi Arabia. They included
thumbcuffs, leg irons, shackles, and "other items that could be used to
perpetrate human rights violations."
In September 2005, Ms. Rice waived sanctions for six months in wake of
the State Department's designation of Saudi Arabia as a leading violator of
religious freedom. Over next two months, the Bush administration announced
plans to sell about $2 billion worth of combat air and other systems to the
kingdom. At the same time, the State Department banned arms exports to
Eritrea, also deemed a country of particular concern.
"Since religious freedom conditions in Saudi Arabia have not
substantially improved in the last year, the U.S. government must not
hesitate in taking aggressive action which meets the requirements of IRFA
[International Religious Freedom Act] to demonstrate that it will not
disregard the persistent and egregious religious freedom violations
committed by the Saudi government," the commission letter to Ms. Rice said.
Others Middle East states deemed countries of particular concern have
been Iran and Sudan, and the commission recommended that they be joined by
Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, all of them allies of the United
States. Egypt has been on the commission's so-called watch list, an
indicator of serious violations.
