US lawmakers concerned at takeover by Arab company of US ports

MEMBERS of the US Congress and the Bush administration are at odds over whether security is compromised by an Arab company’s takeover of operations at six major American seaports.

Some lawmakers expressed concern that the safeguards are insufficient to thwart infiltration of the vital facilities by terrorists.

At issue is the purchase last week of London-based Peninsular and Oriental by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Peninsular and Oriental runs major commercial operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

Peter King, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee raised concerns about the sale.

“I’m aware of the conditions and they relate entirely to how the company carries out its procedures, but it doesn’t go to who they hire, or how they hire people,” he said.

“They’re better than nothing, but to me they don’t address the underlying conditions, which is how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by al-Qaida or someone else? How are they going to guard against corruption?”

Critics have cited the UAE’s history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of September 11, 2001. In addition, they contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist.

Lawmakers from both parties questioned the sale as a possible risk to national security.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham said: “It’s unbelievably tone deaf politically at this point in our history.

“Most Americans are scratching their heads, wondering why this company from this region now.”

Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer said: “It is ridiculous to say you’re taking secret steps to make sure that it’s okay for a nation that had ties to 9/11, (to) take over part of our port operations in many of our largest ports. This has to stop.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Arab journalists at the State Department that it was “the considered opinion of the US government that this can go forward.”