Posted on 03/10/2006 8:26:48 AM PST by indcons
President Bush said Friday he was troubled by the political storm that forced the reversal of a deal allowing a company in Dubai to take over take over operations of six American ports, saying it sent a bad message to U.S. allies in the Middle East.
Bush said the United States needs moderate allies in the Arab world, like the United Arab Emirates, to win the global war on terrorism.
The president said he had been satisfied that security would be sound at the ports if the Dubai deal had taken effect. "Nevertheless, Congress was still very much opposed to it," Bush said. He made his remarks to a conference of the National Newspaper Association, which represents owners, publishers and editors of community newspapers.
"I'm concerned about a broader message this issue could send to our friends and allies around the world, particularly in the Middle East," the president said. "In order to win the war on terror we have got to strengthen our friendships and relationships with moderate Arab countries in the Middle East."
"UAE is a committed ally in the war on terror," Bush added. "They are a key partner for our military in a critical region, and outside of our own country, Dubai services more of our military, military ships, than any country in the world.
"They're sharing intelligence so we can hunt down the terrorists," Bush added. "They helped us shut down a world wide proliferation network run by A.Q. Khan" — the Pakistani scientist who sold nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, he said.
"UAE is a valued and strategic partner," he said. "I'm committed to strengthening our relationship with the UAE."
After a storm of protest in the Republican-controlled Congress, DP World announced Thursday that it would transfer six U.S. port operations to a U.S. entity. The moved spared Bush from a veto showdown with GOP lawmakers. Yet the larger issue highlighted by the DP world controversy — U.S. port security — shows no signs of going away.
"The problem of the political moment has passed, but the problem of adequate port security still looms large," Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., said.
Republicans and Democrats alike welcomed DP World's decision to give up its aspirations to manage significant operations at the six ports, but they warned that the move doesn't negate the urgent need for broad legislation aimed at protecting America's ports.
"I'm sure that the decision by DP World was a difficult decision to hand over port operations that they had purchased from another company," Bush said.
"There are gaping holes in cargo and port security that need to be plugged," Sen. Patty Murray (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash., said.
The Bush administration also announced Friday that free trade talks with the United Arab Emirates were being postponed.
The talks, which were supposed to begin Monday, were postponed because both sides need more time to prepare, according to an announcement from the office of U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record). USTR spokeswoman Neena Moorjani refused to say whether the postponement was related to the controversy over the port operations.
Legislation on the issue has piled up in both the House and the Senate in the weeks since the flap over DP World erupted and divided Bush from the Republican-led Congress.
Before the United Arab Emirates-based company's announcement, the House and Senate appeared all but certain to block DP World's U.S. plan despite Bush's veto threats — a message that GOP congressional leaders delivered personally to the White House.
Facing a disapproving public in an election year, a House committee overwhelmingly voted against the plan Wednesday. And House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., warned the president in a private meeting Thursday that the Senate inevitably would follow suit.
Within hours, Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., one of the few members of Congress to back the administration's position on the issue, went to the Senate floor to read a statement from the company.
"DP World will transfer fully the U.S. operations ... to a United States entity," H. Edward Bilkey, the company's top executive, said in the statement. It was unclear which American business might get the port operations.
The White House expressed satisfaction with the company's decision.
"It does provide a way forward and resolve the matter," said Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary "We have a strong relationship with the UAE and a good partnership in the global war on terrorism, and I think their decision reflects the importance of our broader relationship."
The company's decision gives the president an out. He now doesn't have to back down from his staunch support of the company or further divide his party on a terrorism-related issue with a veto.
It was unclear how the company would manage its planned divestiture, and Bilkey's statement said its announcement was "based on an understanding that DP World will not suffer economic loss."
"This should make the issue go away," Frist said.
Even critics of the deal expressed cautious optimism that DP World's move would quell the controversy surrounding that company's plan to take over some U.S. terminal leases held by the London-based company it was purchasing.
"The devil is in the details," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said, echoing sentiments expressed by other lawmakers.
DP World on Thursday finalized its $6.8 billion purchase of Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., the British company that through a U.S. subsidiary runs important port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. It also plays a lesser role in dockside activities at 16 other American ports.
The plan was disclosed last month, setting off a political firestorm in the United States even though the company's U.S. operations were only a small part of the global transaction.
Republicans were furious that they learned of it from news reports instead of from the Bush administration. They cited concerns over a company run by a foreign government overseeing operations at U.S. ports already deemed vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Democrats also pledged to halt the takeover and clamored for a vote in the Senate. They sought political advantage from the issue by trying to narrow a polling gap with the GOP on issues of national security.
Senate Republicans initially tried to fend off a vote, and the administration agreed to a 45-day review of the transaction. That strategy collapsed Wednesday with the 62-2 vote in the House Appropriations Committee to thwart the sale.
I didn't know we cared about sending bad messages to countries that support and harbor terrorists.
We don't. They don't.
Oh well. The UAE's sponsorship of terrorists sends a bad message too. C'est la vie!
I realize they probably got somewhat blindsided by the sudden opposition, but once the firestorm started Bush and Cheney should have both been out front on this.
I usually find very little to criticize in how the WH handles things, although I do criticize or oppose some policies, but they really screwed the pooch on this one. As soon as it started, Bush should have been issued a statement on what the deal was, what was involved, and why it was a good thing. Instead they let the Democrats and the hand-wringers shape the debate.
In the end the WH has nobody to blame but themselves for the damage this has caused.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hiring gained ground in February with employers adding 243,000 jobs, the most in three months. Brighter job prospects sent people streaming into the labor market, however, pushing the unemployment rate up marginally to 4.8 percent.
Meanwhile, this flies under the radar. Accentuate the positive. The negativism is unbelievable. The business deal will work out, and puppies and kittens are safe from evil unions and Emirs.
Congratulations Sen. Reid and Sen. Schumer. You won. America lost.
The devil is in the minority.
The Bush Doctrine is pretty easy to enforce, I wonder why its namesake can't do it.
There are more potential terrorists in Britain than the UAE.
you cant act like your really behind the deal, threaten a VETO (first one too boot) and the a couple of days later say "you knew nothing about the deal" and still retain credebility with the publis
the white house better hire some one that can find there a$$ with both hands.........QUICK
Since it's so darned easy, Hero, then you should have no trouble picking up Dubya's slack. Good luck to you.
I'm not averse to business with moderate Arabs, just security business. I think we have to give them a chance, just use other arenas.
The plan was disclosed months ago when P&O world put their company up for sale. The bids have been public since it was a stockholder sale. The details of the bid were on the P&O website since December for the whole world to see.
First the media was upset because the white house didn't do the media's job in finding news about the Cheney Shooting.
Now congress is upset that something they supposedly thought was critical wasn't even important enough for them to have a single staff member assigned to reading the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
Lindsay's comment that "the issue of port security still looms large" -- that issue didn't start two months ago, where was he for the last 4 years since 9/11?
mr. President, handing control of ports to Middle-Eastern companies/countries which can be easily infiltrated by those who wish to do us great harm ALSO sends a bad message. To US, your employer.
You can with the portion of the public that actually bothers to read details about the ports deal and reacts objectively instead of emotionally.
So much hypocrisy from this administration. It was a horrid idea to begin with. How could they have been so naive as to think the American public would not rise up about this?
The selling out of America by Washington, is bad enough. But to sell parts to known terrorist-supporting GOVERNMENTS, is beyond compreshension. The globalist/elitist agendas of Washington hopefully will now be kept under a more watchful eye and more sensibility will be exercised. I won't even bring up the Mexican border issue....God save us from our own government.
Oops. SO while last month the story was how few jobs were added, this month the story will be that unemployment rate increased.
While michael weiner(savage) with his bed hopping with chuckie schumer, should be committed, IMO.
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