Emirates PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY
The World Today - Monday, 20 February , 2006 12:22:00
Reporter: John Shovelan
ELEANOR HALL: The Bush administration is facing criticism from
Republicans and Democrats alike over its decision to allow an Arab
company to run six major US ports.

Senior Republican Senator, Lindsay Graham, says the decision to give
the United Arab Emirates' government-owned ports company control over
the operations of major ports in the United States was "unbelievably
tone deaf".

The UAE was used by some of the 9/11 terrorists as both an operational
and a financial base.

But administration officials say they did impose conditions on the UAE
company before approving the deal.

From Washington, John Shovelan reports.

JOHN SHOVELAN: After the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation Company was bought last week by the Dubai Ports World, a
state-owned business from the United Arab Emirates, the Bush
administration had to examine the implications for national security.

The Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, said the
Government built in "certain conditions or requirements that the
company had to agree to".

But those conditions and requirements haven't been made public because
they're classified. But the Secretary said the administration was
satisfied with the company's response, and it could go ahead and
operate the important US ports.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF: You know, Richard Reid was British, he was going to
blow up an airliner, and we don't say the British can't buy companies
here.

We've built in and we will build in safeguards to make sure that these
kinds of things don't happen and, you know, this is part of the
balancing of security, which is our paramount concern, with a need to
still maintain a real robust global trading environment.

JOHN SHOVELAN: That approval has resulted in an alliance of
conservatives and liberals who want the deal overturned. Talk radio has
also begun to campaign for a reversal.

Martin O'Malley, the Mayor of Baltimore - one of the major ports which
will now be operated by the Arab company - called for the President to
intervene.

MARTIN O'MALLEY: Can we, as a country, take a gamble by allowing
another country to be in charge of our security? This is not Republican
or Democrat. This is about the safety of our country. We're going to
take this as far as we can, because our national security is at stake.

JOHN SHOVELAN: Respected Republican Senator Lindsay Graham says the
decision is out of touch.

LINDSAY GRAHAM: It's unbelievably tone deaf politically, at this point
in our history, four years after 9/11, to entertain the idea of turning
port security over to a company based in the UAE who avows to destroy
Israel.

So I'm not so sure it's the wisest political move we could've made.
Most Americans are scratching their head, wondering why this company
from this region now?

JOHN SHOVELAN: Californian Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer agreed.

BARBARA BOXER: It is ridiculous to say you're taking secret steps to
make sure that it's okay for a nation that had ties to 9/11 to take
over part of our port operations in many of our largest ports. This has
to stop.

We have to have American companies running our own ports. Our ports are
soft targets, we're very worried about them. Al-Qaeda has said if they
attack, that's one of the places they're looking. So this should be a
no-brainer.

JOHN SHOVELAN: In New York families of victims of the 9/11 attacks went
public to oppose the deal.

Members of Congress say the UAE was a staging post financially for some
of the 9/11 attackers and are concerned al-Qaeda could infiltrate the
company.

At least one congressional hearing is scheduled to examine the deal.

John Shovelan, Washington.
************************************************** *****************

CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN TODAY!

Put a stop to this insanity!

Joe