UAE joins Saudi rebuke of US Senate over resolution blaming Khashoggi killing on MbS

The United Arab Emirates has thrown its support behind Saudi Arabia's rebuke of the US Senate, which passed a resolution last week blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The UAE, a close US ally and major weapons buyer, released a statement affirming its "policy of full solidarity" with Saudi Arabia with regards to the US Senate decision and "against anyone who attempts to undermine the kingdom's stature and regional position".

The statement, published on Wednesday on the state-run WAM news agency, said the UAE rejects "unfounded allegations and accusations" as well as "attempts that would harm Saudi Arabia's fundamental role as a major power ensuring security and stability in the Arab and Muslim worlds".

Saudi Arabia had earlier blasted the Senate resolution as "blatant interference".

"The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.

US lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Senate voted last week to end US military support for the Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and separately held Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for Khashoggi's killing. 

The largely symbolic vote dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime in the face of intense global outrage that analysts say has left the kingdom diplomatically weakened.

It comes after mounting evidence linked the crown prince to the murder of Khashoggi on 2 October at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.