[kach22i]

Originally posted by 914GT
I see that Chuck Schumer expressed support for Halliburton to take over the port deal. I am not kidding.

Just beacuse he has a "D" in front of his name does not mean he can't be bought. Is this the lesser of evils?

It's getting political, But I maintain that the GOP better do something before the Dem's gain power on this one.



Menendez, Clinton seek to stop UAE port deal
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1JmZnYmVs N2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2ODgxNDc1JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRX l5Mg==

Saturday, February 18, 2006

By TOM DAVIS
STAFF WRITER



Sens. Robert Menendez and Hillary Clinton announced Friday that they'll introduce legislation next month to bar companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from buying port operations in the United States.

The legislation would block Dubai Ports World's recent acquisition of operations at six major American ports -- including the Port Newark Container Terminal -- and all similar transactions in the future.

Dubai is one of six emirates in the United Arab Emirates, which was home to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers and a transfer point for at least some of the money used to finance the attacks.

Menendez, D-N.J., criticized the Bush administration for allowing the transaction to move forward. Congress, he said, must act "to protect our security."

"Our ports are the front lines of the war on terrorism," Menendez said. "They are both vulnerable targets for attack and venues for smuggling and human trafficking. We wouldn't turn the Border Patrol or the Customs Service over to a foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one either."

The Port Authority signed a 30-year lease in 2000 with P&O Ports North America, a subsidiary of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., to operate 50 percent of the Port Newark container facility, one of five major terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Dubai Ports World recently bought the company for $6.8 billion.

While the deal hasn't been completed, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States recently reviewed the transaction and did not object. The committee, run by the Treasury Department, also includes officials from the departments of Defense, Justice, Commerce, State and Homeland Security.

The Treasury Department on Thursday said the consensus of the panel's 12 members was that the sale did not present national security problems. The review included an assessment from U.S. intelligence agencies.

Menendez alleged that, in addition to the UAE's Sept. 11 connection, Dubai has served as a transfer point for shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

"The Bush administration has neglected port security for years, and now they're ready to turn port operations over to the control of a foreign government that is a known transit point for smuggled nuclear technology," Menendez said.

E-mail: davist@northjersey.com

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