Jordan .

The port control stuff. Get ready to agree with the Hildabeast on this one.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid
=2006-02-17T154012Z_01_N17197464_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-CONGRESS-PORTS.xml&rpc=22

DING DING DING DING!!!

But this story has been way back in the news because of the more important Birdshot-gate story.

The stupidest thing the Bush admin (IMHO) has done since signing the bloated transportaation bill.  

Jordan .

Sicne we've gone a different direction in the other thread, figured I'd pull this back up. Here's another article about Americans' "Islamphobia"

Arabs see phobia behind US uproar over ports deal
Wed Feb 22, 2006 1:11 PM ET

By Miral Fahmy and Ghaida Ghantous

DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers' strident opposition to a Dubai company controlling major seaports reflects a Western phobia of Arabs which could scare off other Middle East investors, Arab analysts said.

Several congressmen have vowed to block the sale of British port operator P&O to Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates, a staunch U.S. Gulf ally, citing security concerns even though the deal was approved by the Bush administration.

Mustafa Alani, security expert at the UAE's Gulf Research Center, said the furor over the impending sale was driven by politicians trying to thwart the U.S. government's drive to mend ties with Arab states.

"This is Arab phobia and it is clearly politically motivated," he told Reuters.

He said opponents of the deal "are reopening 9/11 wounds, turning this into an Arab-Muslim conspiracy to control the lives of Americans."

"They want public opinion to sabotage improved relations, but they picked the wrong country," Alani added. (Jordan's Note - harsh rhetoric for a country complaining about Islamphobia)

U.S.-Arab relations had been strained by the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities by 19 Arabs from al Qaeda, including UAE citizens. Washington's support for Israel, considered an enemy by many Arabs, and its war on Iraq have also inflamed tensions.

Analysts also said the uproar could scare off other Gulf Arab states, all U.S. allies and flush with petrodollars, from seeking similar high-profile investments.

"Other Gulf Arabs are watching this closely... this could definitely scare money away. Any investor is going to think a thousand times before doing so," a Gulf-based analyst said.

ISLAMOPHOBIA

Analysts said opposition to the deal stemmed from bias, since the Dubai firm would not oversee security.

"Islamophobia is rising and has become like an infectious disease that spreads... in the West," wrote columnist Rashid Saleh al-Oraimy in the UAE daily Gulf News this week.

"The issue of acquiring the British company that operates U.S. ports is a mere business matter and it has nothing to do with politics," he added.

Oraimy said U.S. security services failed to prevent the September 11 attacks "so no country should be blamed or held responsible for the acts of terrorists".

The UAE, and especially Dubai, is a major trading and business hub in the wealthy Gulf region. It has so far been spared from attacks by Islamist militants who have struck Western interests in other Arab countries.

UAE officials have refused to wade into the political aspects of the deal, preferring to highlight their country's support for the U.S. war on terrorism.

"President (George W.) Bush has set the record straight (about) the existing cooperation between the United States and the United Arab Emirates," a UAE government source said.

"Recently, the UAE and United States have concluded two joint task forces, one dealing with non-proliferation and the second with combating terror financing," he added.

Bush vowed on Tuesday to veto any attempt to block the $6.8 billion takeover, saying scuppering it "sends a terrible signal to friends around the world".

U.S. warships regularly dock at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, which is also managed by DP World, and the emirate became the first Middle Eastern port city in 2004 to sign a U.S. pact aimed at deterring the use of shipping containers for terrorism.

The UAE provides logistical support for some U.S. military operations in the region, including Afghanistan. The Gulf Arab state, an OPEC oil producer, is negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States.

Jordan .

I suspected there was much more to this issue than we knew -

Documents Reveal White House Deal on Ports

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer 42 minutes ago

Under a secretive agreement with the Bush administration, a company in the United Arab Emirates promised to cooperate with U.S. investigations as a condition of its takeover of operations at six major American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The U.S. government chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.(Jordan's Note - that bothers me)

In approving the $6.8 billion purchase, the administration chose not to require state-owned Dubai Ports World to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government. (Jordan's Note - who cares about the latter, but the first bothers me - our courts should have access to business records if there are issues)

Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.

Dubai Ports agreed to give up records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at the U.S. ports, according to the documents. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or operation of ports and equipment. It also pledged to continue participating in programs to stop smuggling and detect illegal shipments of nuclear materials. (Jordan's Note - great on principle, but how about reality?)

"They're not lax but they're not draconian," said James Lewis, a former U.S. official who worked on such agreements. If White House officials negotiating the deal had predicted the firestorm of criticism over it, "they might have made them sound harder." (Jordan's Note - seems normal with this admin - not realizing how boneheaded this idea would look)

The conditions over the sale of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. were detailed in U.S. documents marked "confidential." Such records are regularly guarded as trade secrets, and it is highly unusual for them to be made public.

The Republican head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner of Virginia, planned an oversight hearing Thursday. Warner has expressed support for the agreement, describing the UAE as an important ally against terrorism.

Rep. Peter King (news, bio, voting record) of New York, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the conditions are evidence the Bush administration was concerned about security. "There is a very serious question as to why the records are not going to be maintained on American soil subject to American jurisdiction," King said.

Another critic, Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., added: "These new revelations ask more questions than they answer."

The disclosure of the negotiated conditions came as the White House acknowledged President Bush was unaware of the pending sale until the deal had been already approved by his administration. (Jordan's Note - ??? I know Bush doesn't need to be involved in all decisions, and I can see this one as unnecessary too, but when it involves security of ports, I don't know....?)

Bush has pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement, but some lawmakers said they still were determined to capsize it.

Dubai Port's top American executive, chief operating officer Edward H. Bilkey, said he will work in Washington to persuade skeptical lawmakers they should endorse the deal; several Senate oversight hearings already are scheduled.

"We're disappointed," Bilkey told the AP in an interview. "We're going to do our best to persuade them that they jumped the gun. The UAE is a very solid friend, as President Bush has said."

Under the deal, the government asked Dubai Ports to operate American seaports with existing U.S. managers "to the extent possible." The company promised to take "all reasonable steps" to assist the Homeland Security Department.

The administration required Dubai Ports to designate an executive to handle requests from the U.S. government, but it did not specify this person's citizenship.

It said Dubai Ports must retain paperwork "in the normal course of business" but did not specify a time period or require corporate records to be housed in the United States. Outside experts said stricter provisions are routine in other industries.

Foreign communications companies with American customers are commonly required to store business records in the United States. A senior U.S. official said the Bush administration considers shipping manifests less sensitive. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the agreement. (Jordan's Note - Good thing the official didn't name any names and hwo's married to who....)

Bush faces a potential rebellion over the sale from leaders of his own party, as well as a fight from Democrats. It puts Dubai Ports in charge of major terminal operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

In Lebanon, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the agreement was thoroughly vetted in a review process that took approximately three months. "This is supposed to be a process that raises security concerns, if they are there, but does not presume that a country in the Middle East should not be capable of doing a deal like this." She described the United Arab Emirates as "a very good ally" and said "if more details need to be made available then I'm sure they will be."

The White House said President Bush did not know about the agreement until recently. The AP first reported U.S. approval of the sale to Dubai Ports on Feb. 11, and many members of Congress have said they learned about it from the AP.

"I think somebody dropped the ball," said Rep. Vito Fossella (news, bio, voting record), R-N.Y. "Information should have flowed more freely and more quickly up into the White House. I think it has been mishandled in terms of coming forward with adequate information."  (Jordan's Note - okay, seriously, Bush admin needs to fix this problem they seem to have about information flow)

Jordan .