Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Hours after a state-owned Arab company announced a delay in its takeover of terminal operations at six US ports, the Bush administration intensified its efforts to calm congressional jitters over the business deal. Members of Congress welcomed the transaction’s delay, announced late Thursday by the Dubai-based company. But the lawmakers remained skeptical of White House claims that the takeover would pose no risk to national security, and they vowed to press for a more through review.
‘‘The idea that we’re just going to hold off until we all quiet down is not satisfactory,’’ Republican Mark Foley, Florida, said, adding that he wants officials to more fully explain the level of scrutiny they gave to the deal.
Republican Peter King, New York, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said that additional briefings by White House officials about the transaction and the administration’s approval of it were unlikely to subdue congressional criticism. In an interview on CNN, he said, ‘‘The more I learned about the deal and the more I learned about the process (for its approval), the more concerned I became, because there’s been no full investigation yet.’’
The remarks by Foley and King showed that the White House faced a daunting task in allaying concerns about the deal among Bush’s Republican allies and that the prospect loomed for a showdown with Congress over the dispute.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have threatened to introduce legislation to block the deal involving the state-owned company in Dubai — a member of the United Arab Emirates — unless they are convinced it would not jeopardize US security interests.
A number of lawmakers have expressed concerns about the Middle Eastern country’s record on fighting terrorism. Bush has threatened to veto legislation that would scuttle the deal. The administration worries that if Congress kills it, it could damage US relations with a country that has become a valuable ally in the war on terror.
Under the deal, Dubai Ports World is acquiring a British company that has managed port terminals in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans. In its Thursday announcement, the Dubai company said it would hold off taking control of the US port operations even if its acquisition of the London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company is finalized next week.
On Friday, the administration dispatched a team of high-ranking officials from homeland security, the Coast Guard and other agencies to try to reassure lawmakers’ staffs that they thoroughly vetted the deal. National security adviser Stephen Hadley said Bush believes that as Congress and the public learn more about the issue, they would ‘‘come to the same conclusion he has — that this is something that can go forward and not jeopardize the national security of the US.’’
Several lawmakers said they saw no signs of a change in the tide of public opinion. ‘‘Hundreds of…constituents have called to voice their opposition,’’ said Preston Hartman, an aide to Senator Olympia Snowe, Maine. A bipartisan group of senators plan to introduce legislation on Monday that would require an extended review of the transaction and provide Congress the authority to kill it. King is sponsoring a similar bill in the House. Despite these proposals, Senator John Warner, Virginia, chairman of the Senate Armed Services, said he believed the Dubai company’s decision to delay a takeover of the US port operations may help avoid a confontration between the Congress and the White House.
On Friday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey filed a suit seeking to terminate its lease with the British company that the Dubai enterprise is acquiring.
The New York Times
