Team of Americans from UAE for US to push ports deal

Abu Dhabi A seven-member delegation of American businessmen from the UAE will travel to Washington to brief US lawmakers who oppose Dubai's acquisition of six US ports.

The American Business Group (ABG) in the UAE is undertaking the mission and will express a strong response to objections by US lawmakers about the true character of the UAE. Besides lobbying for Congressional support, the group will also stress the importance of US-UAE relations that are critical for stability in the Middle East, said Kim Childs, executive vice-president of the group.

The move comes as legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives to block DP World's takeover of terminal operations at US ports, acting before the Bush administration completes a 45-day investigation.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis said the panel had attached an amendment to an emergency spending measure preventing DP World from assuming control of the American operations of P&O.

Childs criticised the US opposition to the takeover as "uninformed and inconsistent with American values" and urged President George W. Bush to veto any Congress legislation that blocks the deal. "The ABG deeply regrets what appears to have been an uninformed rush to judgement by some opponents of this transaction, as well as the inflammatory language that some have adopted to express their opposition," Childs said.

The seven-member delegation from the ABG will meet Congressional leaders as well as President George W. Bush in an attempt to convince them that strong US-UAE relations are vital for stability in the Middle East, said Childs.

On Tuesday, Republicans in the House of Representatives moved to block the $6.85 billion deal under which Dubai Ports World will take over the global assets of Britain's P&O by attaching an amendment to must-pass spending legislation for the Iraq war and hurricane relief.

"We do not believe the US should allow a state-owned company to run American ports," said Ron Bonjean, spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, a California republican, told reporters in the US that port security legislation was still being drafted in the House and work remains with the Senate. But he added, "It is my intention to lay the foundation to block the deal."

The ABG, however, criticised the US opposition to Dubai's takeover of P&O as "uninformed and inconsistent with American values" and wants President Bush to veto any Congressional legislation that would block the deal.

"The ABG believes that these actions are inconsistent with American values of fairness and open-mindedness and fail to reflect America's long-standing commitment to the free flow of trade and investment among nations," Childs said.

The ABG, along with other American business councils in the GCC, has also placed an open letter to the US Congress in the Congressional publication Roll Call and individual members are writing directly to their Congressmen.

The House Appropriations Committee was expected to debate the ports amendment, along with the broader spending bill, later yesterday.

Lewis said his amendment to the emergency spending bill for the Iraq war and hurricane rebuilding would not mandate that only American citizens be involved in running US ports.

"The language is designed to deal specifically with the concerns that flow around the UAE question," he said, but added that the measure "could be interpreted to be broader than just a single country."

Bush has threatened to veto legislation that attempts to block the DP World takeover, but Lewis warned, "we could have a confrontation" with the White House.

But Kevin Massengill, a board member of ABG Abu Dhabi, said that any Congressional legislation should be vetoed by President Bush, adding that if the takeover is blocked it would send the wrong message to investors.

"The UAE is not an enemy or risk to the US. You should be able to tell your friends from your enemies," Massengill said.

Dubai Ports has no plans to sell US ops--report
Wed Mar 8, 2006 9:18 PM ET
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LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - Port operator Dubai Ports World has no plans to sell its newly acquired operations managing six U.S. ports, despite a fierce political dispute in Washington, its head said in an interview published on Thursday.

DP World Chief Executive Mohammed Sharaf said his company would take all "humanly possible" measures to counter fears its takeover of the ports threatens U.S. security.

"We have not even thought of that (selling the port management operations) yet," he said in an interview with Britain's Financial Times newspaper. "We have a business to run -- the USA is part of it."

The newspaper's Web site (www.ft.com) reported that private equity groups had approached DP World about buying its U.S. operations. The report, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, gave no more details.

DP World's takeover of British ports operator P&O (PO.L: Quote, Profile, Research), which previously managed the U.S. ports, has created a political crisis for U.S. President George W. Bush.

Opponents trying to block the deal say management of major ports by an Arab-based company could jeopardise national security.

Bush has said such fears are unwarranted because the United Arab Emirates is a strong ally. He has threatened to veto any legislation blocking the deal.

DP World's Sharaf pledged to do everything possible to maintain tight security at the ports.

"We are sure that the measures we are taking are to the highest standards that we know and anybody else knows in the security area," he told the FT.

"If (the U.S. authorities) want something more, if it is humanly possible, we will do that."

"and have prooved it many times over "

would an "ally" do the following:

http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/3/4/92458.shtml?s=ic
in a press release issued Thursday, the Duncan Hunter noted:

• United Arab Emirates officials and private companies have regularly waived-through or turned a blind eye to the shipment of nuclear triggers to Pakistan and nerve gas precursors to Iran.

• In 2003, over U.S. protests, United Arab Emirates customs officials allowed sixty-six American high-speed electrical switches, which are ideal for detonating nuclear weapons, to be sent to a Pakistani businessman with longstanding ties to the Pakistani military.

Seventy tons of heavy water, a component for nuclear reactors, were sent from China to Dubai. The shipping labels were then changed to mask the transaction, and sixty tons of the heavy water were forwarded to India, where it enabled the government to use its energy-producing reactors to create plutonium for its atomic weapons program. The other ten tons went to Argentina.

• A Greek intermediary offered Iraq an atomic-bomb design from Dr. A. Q. Khan in Pakistan, with a guarantee that "any requirements or materials" could be bought from Western countries and routed through Dubai.

• Two containers of gas centrifuge parts from Dr. Khan's labs were shipped through Dubai to Iran for about $3 million worth of Untied Arab Emirates currency.

• A Dubai company ordered American-made impregnated alumina - a substance that can be used for making nerve gas ingredients - and tried to pass it along to an Iranian purchasing agent in violation of American export control laws.

----

from the WSJ:

"dubai is one of the most important conduits for iran's nuclear technology acquisition program, according to U.S. court cases and interviews with experts in the field"

"in 2003, UAE officials refused a U.S. request to intercept a shipment of nuclear technology bound for South Africa by a smuggler named Asher Karni,"

-----
""Opponents of the deal also argue that the FBI found that the UAE's banking system filtered much of the money used for the operational planning before the Sept. 11 attacks, and many of the hijackers traveled to the United States through the UAE. On top of that, the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist."

Fox News, February 20, 2006 "
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185347,00.html

----

there is more info on my freeper homepage on how the crown prince of dubai purchased the HQ in washington dc for CAIR (a hamas front group). it led the effort to get michael graham of talk radio fame silenced, and seeks to silence any criticism of islam. additionally, they're working to get sharia law implemented in canada. according to david horowitz's site (discoverthenetworks.org) they are also funded by george soros, have leadership/affiliations with ACORN, A.N.S.W.E.R., CODE PINK, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (john kerry's friends), LA RAZA, National Laywers Guild, People For The American Way, and so on.

additionally, uae funds hamas which kills jews and has murdered AMERICANS abroad.

the president of UAE just met with abbas the other day and stated that they stood with the palestinian people to help create a palestinian state with JERUSALEM as the captial.

the UAE has the same political "rights" as Iran.

percentage of UAE votes AGAINST america at the UN:

2004: 87.5%

2003: 100%

2002: 82.4%

2001: 100%

BTW, they also went to the UN to try to get the international community to force israel to tear down it's wall.

since 9/11 the treasury department has been stonewalled by the emirates in trying to track Osama's bank accounts.

all the information is on my FR homepage (and more)

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