This Port Deal

Miakal

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist called to delay a United Arab Emirates company's takeover of operations at six major US ports, saying the deal raises "serious questions regarding the safety and security of our homeland."

Frist, one of President George W. Bush's top allies, threatened to sponsor legislation to delay and review the deal, involving UAE state-owned ports operator Dubai Ports World, despite its go-ahead by the White House.

"The decision to finalize this deal should be put on hold until the administration conducts a more extensive review," Frist said in a statement, adding that the deal could have "a major impact on Americas security."

Frist's call came as furor mounted in the US over the deal, with US politicians calling to cancel it and a US company filing suit to block it.
According to media reports, the lawsuit was filed by Miami-based Continental Stevedoring and Terminals Inc. against the 6.8 billion dollar takeover by Dubai Ports World of Britain's Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co (P and O), which currently operates the US ports.
Continental, P and O's Miami affiliate, charged that its sale to the Dubai company would force it to become an "involuntary partner" with Dubai's government and even "may endanger the national security of the United States."

The port of Miami is one of America's busiest and is the focal point for its bustling cruise and vacation industry. Other ports affected in the deal are in New York; New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The controversy has rocketed to the top of the US political agenda, as Democrats and Republicans have joined forces to try to upend it, criticizing what they describe as the UAE's spotty record on combatting terror.

Other erstwhile staunch allies of Republican President George W. Bush have parted company with their party's leader on the issue.
Republican Representative Peter King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives, told US television on Monday that he was "very concerned" about the deal, saying it was "irresponsible ... to have a company which could have an Al-Qaeda infiltration actually inside those ports, knowing what our security procedures are, knowing what's done in those ports."
The usually Bush-friendly New York Daily News was scathing in its assessment of the deal.

"Now those ports are in the hands of a firm owned by a sheikdom suspected of connections to Al-Qaeda terrorists, Iraqi insurgents and Iranian flame-throwers," the daily wrote on Monday, pointing out the the United Arab Emirates was home to two of the hijackers in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. "How can we even think of permitting the government of the UAE to control five of the busiest ports on the East Coast?" asked the newspaper.

However, federal government officials said they carefully had vetted the deal, and that it posed no security risk.

The deal has been approved by Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. "There is no higher priority for the members of this committee than protect the security of the United States," said Treasury spokesman Tony Fratto. CFIUS members, he added, "take the job very very seriously" and did "thorough work."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CNN television on Sunday the transfer of ports management had been given "a very thorough review and where appropriate necessary conditions or safeguards have to be put into place."


He said it was important to prevent rigorous security measures from interfering in the free market. "We have to balance the paramount urgency of security against the fact that we still want to have a robust global trading system," Chertoff said. King, however, disputed the notion that the review had been thorough. "The fact is that this was a very compressed investigation. The most was 20 to 25 days and only a few days was spent on looking at the security aspects. Dubai Ports World's acquisition of British firm Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company is to be finalized on March 2.

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CREDIT: Yahoo! News

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Another brilliant move by the Bush administration.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

Yeah, I have to agree that this decision is stupid. You won't find me defending President Bush on this one.

Miakal

President Bush just said that he would veto any effort by Congress to stop his port deal.

That sucks.

Hail Mohammed!

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

Yeah, this sucks. What the hell is wrong with him? Everyone is against this except Bush and his team.

Miakal

I'm guessing that there was a huge sum of money in the deal. It really should've been an American company though. Would he allow an outsourced Arab company cover his secret service details?

Congress should at least be able to look at it closer.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

I completely agree Miakal. This is a ridiculous abuse of Presidential power.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

Here is something pretty interesting from foxnews.com

For It or Against It?

Thursday, March 02, 2006
By Brit Hume

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Bill Clinton has jumped to the defense of the United Arab Emirates in the deal to hand over control of some U.S. port operations — or has he? Clinton tells the National Governor's Association that he has "a very high opinion of UAE and Dubai in particular,” calling the country, "a good ally to America" and saying "They're trying to build a new Middle East."
But the New York Post reports that Clinton also supports his wife Hillary's opposition to the deal and says, "I do not buy this argument that all the people who are questioning this are xenophobic."
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The latest example of the Clintons trying to play to both sides. Pretty pathetic.

Inogenius

It's time for a revolution. Even Terry says goodbye to Bushy now.

Miakal

Yeah, totally. I'm glad Frist isn't doing this kinda thing.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

Since when did Frist's wife get into politics?

I know what you were trying to say but this is totally different. When you have someone as high stature as the Clintons, and one comes out for something and the other comes out against it, it is so obvious that it is just a political move and I think it is pathetic.

Everyone tries to play to both sides, but not like this.