US says support for Saudi Arabia not a 'blank cheque' after Yemen air raid
Source: The Guardian
US says support for Saudi Arabia not a 'blank cheque' after Yemen air raid
Coalition announces inquiry into strike that killed 140 people
in Sanaa as US says its backing is not a blank cheque
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Sunday 9 October 2016 13.38 BST
The US said its security cooperation with Saudi Arabia was not a blank cheque as Riyadh agreed to mount an investigation into a widely condemned air raid on funeral in Yemen that killed 140 people.
In one of the deadliest attacks of the countrys civil war, which Saudi Arabia entered in March 2015, airstrikes on Saturday hit a funeral hall packed with thousands of mourners in Yemens rebel-held capital, Sanaa. More than 525 people were wounded.
The Saudi-led coalition has not acknowledged responsibility for the attack, even as it announced an investigation, but is the only force with such air power in the conflict.
The White House issued a statement saying it had begun an immediate review of its support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The attack has been condemned by the UN, the European Union and the United States.
The issue is embarrassing for the US since it has decried the Russian failure to be more open about its role in the air attack on a UN aid convoy in Syria, and it will face allegations of double standards if it allows the Saudis to delay an inquiry.
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Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/09/saudi-arabia-investigate-air-raid-on-funeral-in-yemen