US port operations to be sold to UAE company

[Scott & Lai 12]

Anyone else find this deal more than a little disturbing?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060221/ap_on_...o/port_security

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

2 hours, 4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist called Tuesday for the Bush administration to stop a deal permitting a United Arab Emirates company to take over six major U.S. seaports, upping the ante on a fight that several congressmen, governors and mayors are waging with the White House.

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"The decision to finalize this deal should be put on hold until the administration conducts a more extensive review of this matter," said Frist. "If the administration cannot delay this process, I plan on introducing legislation to ensure that the deal is placed on hold until this decision gets a more thorough review."

In the uneasy climate after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration decision to allow the transaction is threatening to develop a major political headache for the White House.

Frist, R-Tenn., spoke as other lawmakers, including Rep. Peter King (news, bio, voting record), R-N.Y., and Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., said they would offer emergency legislation next week to block the deal ahead of a planned March 2 takeover.

Frist's move comes a day after two Republican governors, New York's George Pataki and Maryland's Robert Ehrlich, voiced doubts about the acquisition of a British company that has been running six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates.

The British company, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., runs major commercial operations at ports in Baltimore, Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia.

Both governors indicated they may try to cancel lease arrangements at ports in their states because of the DP World takeover.

"Ensuring the security of New York's port operations is paramount and I am very concerned with the purchase of Peninsular & Oriental Steam by Dubai Ports World," Pataki said in a statement. "I have directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to explore all legal options that may be available to them."

Ehrlich, concerned about security at the Port of Baltimore, said Monday he was "very troubled" that Maryland officials got no advance notice before the Bush administration approved the Arab company's takeover of the operations at the six ports.

"We needed to know before this was a done deal, given the state of where we are concerning security," Ehrlich told reporters in the State House rotunda in Annapolis.

The arrangement brought protests from both political parties in Congress and a lawsuit in Florida from a company affected by the takeover.

Public fears that the nation's ports are not properly protected, combined with the news of an Arab country's takeover of six major ports, proved a combustible mix.

Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina said on Fox News Sunday that the administration approval was "unbelievably tone deaf politically." GOP Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia said on ABC's "This Week," "It's a tough one to explain, but we're in a global economy. ... I think we need to take a very close look at it."

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey said Monday that he and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., will introduce legislation prohibiting the sale of port operations to foreign governments.

At least one Senate oversight hearing was planned for later this month.

Critics have noted that some of the 9/11 hijackers used the UAE as an operational and financial base. In addition, they contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist.

The Bush administration got support Monday from former President Carter, a Democrat and frequent critic of the administration.

"My presumption is, and my belief is, that the president and his secretary of state and the Defense Department and others have adequately cleared the Dubai government organization to manage these ports," Carter told CNN. "I don't think there's any particular threat to our security."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff made the rounds on the talk shows Sunday, asserting that the administration made certain the company agreed to certain conditions to ensure national security. H said details of those agreements were secret.

During a stop Monday in Birmingham, Ala., Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the administration had a "very extensive process" for reviewing such transactions that "takes into account matters of national security, takes into account concerns about port security."

___

Associated Press writers Will Lester in Washington, Matthew Verrinder in Newark, N.J., and Tom Stuckey in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this story.

[irishgirl73 0]

Heard about this on the news last night-I definetly find it disturbing

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Senators Clinton and Menendez are trying their best to legislatively block this.

Governor Pataki is trying his best to stop it too.

Hope they succeed.

[pax 0]

Wow, you know it's an unpopular issue when Sens. Clinton AND Frist are against it.

(Me too, FTR.)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Jimmy Carter supports the deal.

''The overall threat to the United States and security, I don't think it exists,'' Carter said on CNN's The Situation Room. ``I'm sure the president's done a good job with his subordinates to make sure this is not a threat.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/...miherald_nation

[irishgirl73 0]

Jimmy Carter supports the deal.

''The overall threat to the United States and security, I don't think it exists,'' Carter said on CNN's The Situation Room. ``I'm sure the president's done a good job with his subordinates to make sure this is not a threat.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/...miherald_nation

Oh God what a wanker

Edited February 21, 2006 by irishgirl73

[almaty 19]

Jimmy Carter supports the deal.

''The overall threat to the United States and security, I don't think it exists,'' Carter said on CNN's The Situation Room. ``I'm sure the president's done a good job with his subordinates to make sure this is not a threat.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/...miherald_nation

Oh God what a wanker

[Jasman0717 9]

Weird

[almaty 19]

it is Just Wrong...bush admin whines and pisses and moans about the need for wiretaps and taking rights from us citizens but turns around and does this against the states wishes....a chopf##k..what is it about the bush clan and this area of the world?????????

[Peter Miami 0]

Heard about this on the news last night-I definetly find it disturbing

I totally agree with irishgirl, very disturbing!

[mikeize 0]

Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina said on Fox News Sunday that the administration approval was "unbelievably tone deaf politically." GOP Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia said on ABC's "This Week," "It's a tough one to explain, but we're in a global economy. ... I think we need to take a very close look at it."

This is the crux right here, I think. Stupid move politically, but I am unconvinced that it is any special security risk. I mean we DO have american and british terrorists, right? Again, it's a hot (suicide) button to be pushing right now, but that's all.

-mike

[kaydee457 13]

This deal will go through. There's much ado and hysteria bantered about over the supposed risks because this deal involves an arabic country.

The authorizing agency approved this deal because there is in essence little or no risk.

This is just another example of a few elected officials shooting their collective mouth's off without doing the research to back up what they say.

The UAE is one of the strongest allies, if not the strongest in the region. We (the US) stage our U2 flights from their airbase in the UAE outside of Abu Dhabi. We also sell them F16's and other sophisticated military hardware.

They shun terrorist organizations and openly pursue them, and subsequently jail them if necessary. Their principal military threat in the region is none other than IRAN and they train for the eventuality of an attack.

They are an affluent country; one that spreads the wealth to the population and subsequently their citizens enjoy a very high standard of living. They are not a draconian muslim society intolerant of all other religions but rather a mosaic of faiths.

Frankly, I'm embarrassed by this over the top hysteria coming from a few of our elected officials as a result of their own ignorance. Most don't know anything about this country other than it's arabic.

In the past 4 years I have lived there on and off. I have made many friends in their military, particularly the UAAF and I'm sure they're looking in on this whole debacle dismayed by what's being said.

It's absurd to think that just because the company, based in Dubai, is somehow in close proximity to arabic people that they are automatically suspect

Edited February 21, 2006 by kaydee457

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Sure, let's hand the military off to the Saudis while we're at it...

[kaydee457 13]

Sure, let's hand the military off to the Saudis while we're at it...

What he hell do the Saudi's have to do with this discussion? Like I said the amount of ignorance involved in this issue is embarrassing.....

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Ted Kennedy has more people with his car than I have with my many guns.