Saudi Arabian Company to Operate Our Ports??

What is going on here? Obviously there is some kind of payback going on here. Otherwise this should NEVER happen. The Saudi's will not only run the most impotant ports in the U.S. they will also provide security for them!!!! Can you say suitcase nuclear weapons?
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Congressmen worry about ports deal with Dubai firm
By Claudia Parsons

U.S. lawmakers will seek quick action in Congress to block a deal under which a state-owned Dubai company would manage major U.S. seaports, they said on Tuesday.


Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record) and Republican Congressman Peter King, who is chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, would push the legislation as soon as Congress resumes on Monday, Schumer's office said in a statement.

King said on Sunday the Bush administration had failed to put adequate security conditions on the deal, which has raised concerns about the safety of strategic facilities considered vulnerable since the September 11 attacks.

King said that before the administration approved the sale of British firm P&O, which manages six U.S., ports, to Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates, it failed to determine whether the company could be trusted.

The UAE company would control management of ports in New York and New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Miami.
"In light of these critical functions being transferred from a private company based in Britain to a United Arab Emirates government-owned company based in Dubai ... Sen. Schumer and Congressman Peter King will announce their emergency legislation to suspend the Dubai port deal," the statement said.

FULL INVESTIGATION

It said the legislation would require a full investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and Congress would have authority to stop the sale.

Congressman Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, and Rep. Vito Fossella (news, bio, voting record), a New York Republican, were to hold a news conference at the Port of Miami on Tuesday with a spokesman for the shipping firm suing to stop the ports' operations from being sold to Dubai Ports.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also backed calls by Schumer, a Democrat, and other legislators for further review of the contract, a spokesman said. "Their concerns need to be met and addressed," the spokesman said.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has defended the deal, saying the administration approved it after a classified review and included provisions to protect national security.
New York's other U.S. senator, Democrat Hillary Clinton, said last week she planned legislation to ban companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from acquiring U.S. port operations, and Republican Gov. George Pataki has also criticized the deal.

U.S. seaports handle 2 billion tons of freight each year. Only about 5 percent of containers are examined on arrival and since September 11, 2001, security experts in New York have been particularly concerned about ports' vulnerability to attack.

U.S. officials have praised the United Arab Emirates for steps to protect its booming financial sector against abuse by terrorism financiers. Money for the September 11 attacks was wired through the UAE's banking system, according to U.S. officials. Two of the September 11 hijackers were UAE citizens.


Frist: Stop handover of U.S. ports to Arab firm
Senate’s top Republican adds voice to criticism of Bush administration move

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11474440/

 

Correct. My mistake. But this proposed deal really bothers me. Here's some background I found on a bloq.

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George Bush wants to let Dubai World Ports - a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates - take control of 6 of the largest ports in the U.S.: New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

Shipping ports are already the most vulnerable part of our Homeland Security, since 95% of imported goods come by ship. Yet only 5% of cargo containers - which could easily hide WMD's - are physically inspected.

And the United Arab Emirates has some of the most dangerous ties to terrorism, according to seven U.S. Senators:

- The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

- The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.

- According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.

- Two of the 9/11 hijackers were from the UAE (Fayez Banihammad and Marwan al-Shehhi)

- After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.

The $6.8 billion deal was approved by Alberto Gonzales, Condi Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, John Snow, and Michael Chertoff.

Rice said there had been a "thorough review" of the sale. "It's the considered opinion of the U.S. government that this can go forward," she said.

 

This isn't just doing business. It's handing over operational control (including security) to a country that has a history of having ties to terrorists. This company is owned by the government of the UAR if I understand this correctly.

Personally, I believe that our ports are our most dangerous area due to the possibility of shipping in suitcase nuclear or bio-chemical weapons. I remember reading a book once in which exactly this was done. A suitcase nuke was shipped into NYC. If we're going to have homeland security at all (and I don't think we have that much right now) how can we do such a stupid thing?