Posted on 02/22/2006 4:19:27 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The chief operating officer of Dubai Ports World ( DPW.YY) said Wednesday the company has no intention of breaking up its acquisition of the U.K.'s Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co (PO.LN) in order to quell a growing political controversy over control of six major U.S. ports.
"We intend to keep this (P&O) portfolio together because it matches us strategically," Ted Bilkey, COO of DP World, said in an interview on CNN.
DP World, which is owned by the United Arab Emirate of Dubai, is set to take over P&O in a $6.8 billion acquisition. A P&O unit runs major commercial port operations in Baltimore, Miami, Newark, New York, Philadelphia and New Orleans - prompting security concerns by lawmakers from both parties over an Arab country owning key U.S. port operations.
The Bush administration has already cleared the deal, scheduled to close on March 6.
In the CNN interview, Bilkey sought to ease security concerns. "There's a complete misconception about security. Security comes under the purveyance of the Coast Guard, the Homeland Security (Department), Customs, local police forces - and we implement their instructions. We follow those to the letter."
Critics of the deal have alleged that the U.A.E. harbors and funds terrorists, and that two of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers were from the U.A.E.
"The U.A.E. has been a very good friend of the United States for a long time," Bilkey said. " ... We have performed for them in the first Gulf War. We were the base of supplying the Navy at sea.
"We were the first, and, I believe, still one of the earliest port operators to join the custom security initiative," he added.
The U.A.E. has been an ally of the U.S. for a long time.
Bilkey also refuted claims that DP World doesn't deal with Israel, claiming that at least one major Israeli firm, which he called the Zim line, does a good deal of business with the company.
"It's interesting to me that (the president of that company is) very close to our company, and supports us," he said. "We handle their operations in a number of ports throughout the world.
"It's good commercial business."
Bilkey pointed out that the emir of U.A.E., Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al- Maktoum, is aware of the arrangement with Israel.
During the interview, Bilkey described the port security operations in Dubai " like extending the borders of the U.S." He said there are U.S. customs officials on the ground in Dubai examining every box. "It's not loaded unless it's cleared," he said.
Calling tight security measures a "marketing tool," Bilkey stressed that to allow security lapses would be poor business. "The shipping companies want to know that we run a secure operation," he said.
As former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole was reported Wednesday as having been tapped to lobby the ports deal through Congress, Bilkey said the company is willing to do whatever the Bush administration asks to enhance shipping security to ensure the deal goes through.
"We're very much committed to that," he said. "We think it's a great strategic fit."
But wait, it's an extremist Islamofascist company just waiting to get their hands on our port operations to perpetrate mayhem in our country. Shouldn't the executives have name like Mohammad al-somthingorother?
And still no mention by the msm of David Sanborn. Nope, not a word. Mum on the subject. Heads in the sand.
Good move getting Bob Dole on board - I thought the deal was scheduled to close on March 2nd?
Zim is not some tiny company.
http://www.zim.com/Pictures.htm
Those are half billion dollar ships. Count em.
Thats just part of the company.
Brit had a clip of this guy on tonight. He is a 60 something white American.
LLS
Read this and realize our congress was the culprit - not Bush:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1583784/posts
Right. Among the other current and former company executives whose names have appeared in various articles in industry publications about this merger are David Sanborn (now working in the U.S. Treasury Department) and some guy named Sir John Holmes or something like that.
Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I get the feeling these guys don't bend their @sses five times a day or live on sand and goat's milk for weeks at a time during Ramadan.
Bob Dole's slogan is going to be: "You can be sure you won't get scr*!#ed."
Interesting port article!
They do if their muslim bosses tell them to.
I don't know that Viagra samples are going to help here.
Thanks for the ping!
bttt
while holding out a bag of cash for them at the same time.
Yeah, sure, Bob Dole is going to be a Suicide Bomber? LOL
so he's willing to do anything for security he says.
OK, all US based management employees of DPW must obtain US government security clearances - no different then US private citizens who work for private corporate subcontractors working for DoD. the subcontractors they hire to work at the ports, must be subjected to the same. there must also be an independent oversight part of the company, consisting of a DPW security officer and DHS persons - through which every management decision that results in a change to even the smallest part of the operations procedures, are vetted before implementation.
let's start with that.
and I fully expect all the pro-port people to come and tell me that these requirements are "anti business", and "too burdensome".
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