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Feb. 21, 2006 On the surface the Dubai deal for U.S. ports looks pretty bad. Many have suggested that the deal was initiated by the Bush administration when this is not the case. It sounds bad, but this is a business deal between two privately owned foreign companies. According to the article” “Administration OK With UAE Running Six Major U.S. Ports”, Sunday, February 12, 2006, “A company in the United Arab Emirates is poised to take over significant operations at six American ports as part of a corporate sale, leaving a country with ties to the Sept. 11 hijackers with influence over a maritime industry considered vulnerable to terrorism.” That lead paragraph makes it sound like the United States is poised to turn over the war against terror to the four winds and whichever way they are blowing at the moment. Quote: “The Bush administration considers the UAE an important ally in the fight against terrorism since the suicide hijackings and is not objecting to Dubai Ports World's purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.” So this is a private deal between two foreign companies. I don’t know how we could allow any foreign company from any country run something as vital as a shipping port, but we’ve been letting the British handle the ports and now they want to sell their interests. The Arabs have put up a bid that was accepted. The United States did not initiate the deal but it is not standing in the way of private investments or business deals in this matter. The United States does not have its head in the sand in the matter however: “The $6.8 billion sale is expected to be approved Monday. The British company is the fourth largest ports company in the world and its sale would affect commercial U.S. port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. DP World said it won approval from a secretive U.S. government panel that considers security risks of foreign companies buying or investing in American industry. The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "thoroughly reviewed the potential transaction and concluded they had no objection," the company said in a statement to The Associated Press.” Again, I’m concerned that we need to turn port operations to any foreign entity. The sale has been reviewed. The reviewing committee had right of rejection but did not recommend that to the President. Since the deliberations are secretive based probably in the need to keep such deliberations from terrorist probing, we won’t know all the considerations of the committee. Their bottom line was that DP World could be trusted to take over and handle the ports. I doubt anyone took public opinion or public perceptions into consideration. More from the article: “The committee earlier agreed to consider concerns about the deal as expressed by a Miami-based company, Eller & Co., according to Eller's lawyer, Michael Kreitzer. Eller is a business partner with the British shipping giant but was not in the running to buy the ports company. The committee, which could have recommended that President Bush block the purchase, includes representatives from the departments of Treasury, Defense, Justice, Commerce, State and Homeland Security.” Even with this scrutiny it might be wise to look at this deal a little harder. Even with the UAE ownership the ports will be run by Americans with American labor. If there is a security risk involved, much of that would have to come from internal sources. We are not going to allow the Middle East to send groups of Muslims in to man American ports. That is a courtship with disaster we cannot afford. You do have to question this however. Several of the 9/11 hijackers were residents of the UAE and one was born there. How absolute can we be in trusting any part of America’s security interests to the hands of possible enemies? ------------ About the Author: Michael John McCrae has contributed over 500 articles to Useless-Knowledge.com. Email: macswordV@hotmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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