Posted on 02/17/2006 7:51:42 AM PST by presidio9
Two U.S. Democratic senators said on Friday they would introduce legislation aimed at blocking Dubai Ports World from buying a company that operates several U.S. shipping ports because of security concerns.
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Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Hillary Clinton of New York said they would offer a measure to ban companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from acquiring U.S. port operations.
"We wouldn't turn the border patrol or the customs service over to a foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one either," Menendez said in a statement.
P&O, the company Dubai Ports World plans to buy for $6.8 billion, is already foreign-owned but the concern is that the purchaser is backed by the United Arab Emirates government.
The UAE company would gain control over the management of major U.S. ports in New York and New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Miami, sparking national security concerns.
"I will be working with Senator Menendez to introduce legislation that will prohibit the sale of ports to foreign governments," Clinton said in a statement.
Officials with the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a U.S. inter-agency panel that reviews security implications of foreign takeovers of strategic assets, has already reviewed the transaction and did not object.
Despite that review, some Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress urged the Bush administration to conduct a more rigorous review. They expressed fears that the UAE was used as a conduit for parts used for nuclear proliferation and that the local banking system had been abused by financiers with possible links to terrorist organizations.
U.S. officials have said the UAE has been a solid and cooperative partner in the fight against terrorism, and have praised the UAE 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.
U.S. seaports handle 2 billion tons of freight each year but only about 5 percent of containers entering the United States are examined on arrival.
Similar concerns were raised when a China state-controlled oil company tried to acquire the U.S. oil company Unocal. After pressure from American lawmakers, the foreign company eventually dropped out of the bidding.
And they don't know that already. Sheesh any al-queda spy could bribe a union longshoreman for that.
I doubt longshoreman have consulted at length with Homeland.
Noooo? they only work in the ports everyday and know what goes on, and given their slavish support to corrupt unions(and their heads, schumer, hillary), please tell me why the longshoreman are immune to bribes on security.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Don't be silly. How many longshoreman would know all of Homelands protocols. If this deal goes through, an arab nation would be continually updated by Homeland.
See reply #25 of this thread.
Ditto that. Kinda turns my whole world upside-down.
I'm tired of belonging to the Clueless Republican party. I think we need two Repub parties - the Clueless and the Clued In.
And good luck figuring out which congressperson belongs in which one, I sure am confused.
LOL! They work there. I guess where you work at, you are totally ignorant of what is happening around you.
I'm sure they know everything Homeland does, all backup plans and all protocols etc. They're all Jack Bauer, right. Turn OFF your TV! You aren't even worth debating.
"Are you saying stockholders shouldn't have a voice in how their company is run?"
In this situation yes indeed. The security of the United States is far more important than some stockholder's share.
Now go back to Islam where you belong to practice your religion of "peace." No way will you gain control of our ports nor any measure of control of our ports...
Once the word is out on this one, your ship will be sunk. And the word is getting out loud and clear. This one rings like Paul Revere's ride. Careful you're not trampled.
"Actually it's a crying shame that you are proving PT Barnum right(there is a sucker born every minute)."
How's that, by choosing principle over party? Are you one of the Bush-can-do-no-wrong crowd, even while he's selling out the country? If so, you are indeed a sucker, and not a very patriotic one at that.
(BTW, you're not Karl Rove posting under the name "Dane", are you?)
"Like I said, the country would grind to a halt within 48 hours and we'd be living in the proverbial Stone Age within a month."
Like I said, if that is what it takes to get this one right, then so be it. Shut er down til sanity prevails.
LOL! No they are not Jack Bauer per se, but they do know what is happening around them at work.
I agree with the Dems on this one. (shudder). Plus they will beat the admin. over the head with this as they should.
WTF are you thinking when you believe hillary lock, stock, and barrel.
Okay, I need to ask a silly question. If this outfit in Dubai doesn't buy the ports, who will? Hillary? Are we going to do a FReepathon and buy them ourselves?
Here you have a seller and no American buyers. It's not like they can pack up the piers and take them back to sandland.
If you are rooting for Chuckie and Hillary(!), you can rest assured that all three of you wrong.
hmmm, I really have trouble talking to you. I can't tell if your slavish devotion to GWB is a belief in the selling out of this country or an extreme hatred of Hillary. The second one I can get on board with, but it doesn't require chapping your lips on El Presidente's @$$.
Actually, this website is moderated by clueless Republicans (also known as libertarians).
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