White House Urged to Review Port Deal
According to reports, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee urged the White House on to reconsider approval of a sale that would give a company in the United Arab Emirates control over significant operations at six American ports. Other U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns about the sale's implications for maritime security. The Associated Press reported Saturday that government-owned Dubai Ports World had won approval for the $6.8 billion deal from a secretive U.S. panel that considers security risks of foreign companies buying or investing in American industry.Critics have complained that control over port operations by DP World could endanger U.S. security. They cite the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against New York and Washington. Source: USA Today