US senator questions Dubai deal for US ports

[blessedayers]

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - February 13, 2006 - A US senator expressed concern about a takeover deal giving a Dubai company control of operations at six US ports, including the port of New York. <br>
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New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, speaking on Fox Television, expressed reservations about the deal in which <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>the British port and ferries group</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company <!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;">approved</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> a takeover bid by DP World of Dubai.<br>
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<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-size:small;">"Should we be outsourcing our own security?"</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> Schumer said in the interview <br>
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"We have to have hands-on control of things. And to have United Arab Emirates -- I mean, they are a country that's allied with the US, but at the same time a whole bunch of the (September 11) hijackers came from the United Arab Emirates." <br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The deal, which is to be finalized on March 2</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> according to P and O, <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>creates the second biggest global ports and container group in terms of traffic,</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> on a par with Singapore's state-linked PSA International and the Danish group APM Terminals. <br>
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P and O valued the takeover at around 5.7 billion euros (6.8 billion dollars). <br>
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Schumer said he had "real doubts" about the deal that would give DP World operations of the ports of <!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-size:small;">New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <br>
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"I think there ought to be a full and public review before this company is allowed to control security up and down the East Coast," he said. <br>
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"The issue is not the head of the company. I'm sure he's been checked out. But how good is their security? How good do they check on their employees? <!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-size:small;">Could people infiltrate this company a lot more easily than they could infiltrate an American company?"</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><br>
<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/13/060213211812.3d8ng6d1.html">www.breitbart.com/news/20...ng6d1.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>
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<p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:olive;"><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a184/halfcent/scani1_11509.gif " style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--> <br>
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<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:navy;">For I will give you a mouth and wisdom...<br>
which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Luk 21:15</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:olive;">Jody ***Psalms 119***</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--> </p><i></i>

[blessedayers]

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Chuck's port-deal terror</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
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THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS - BY MICHAEL McAULIFF - February 14, 2006 - <br>
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The Bush administration was urged yesterday to take another look at a deal that would turn over operation of two marquee New York Harbor ports to Dubai, a nation with ties to the 9/11 hijackers.<br>
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The emirate-owned Dubai Ports World <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>finalized a $6.8billion deal yesterday to buy the English firm P&O Ports</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, which now runs <!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-size:small;">Manhattan's cruise-ship terminal on the West Side and the Port Authority's Newark Container Port, as well as ports in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Miami.</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"If a terrorist organization decided to infiltrate this company ... what would stop them?"</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> asked Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).<br>
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Schumer said the Department of Homeland Security should slow down the deal, approved by the U.S. Treasury department's secretive Committee on Foreign Investment.<br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Dubai has become one of the White House's close allies</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> in the war on terror, but many of the 9/11 hijackers passed through the country and had cash wired from there.<br>
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"Foreign control of our ports which are vital to homeland security is a risky proposition," Schumer said.<br>
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<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-size:small;">Ports are considered one of the nation's weakest security links</span><!--EZCODE FONT END-->, with only about 5% of the cargo coming in inspected.<br>
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City officials did not comment last night, but a PA spokesman said the agency agreed with Schumer. <br>
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"We need to take a real close look at security before we approve such a company," said Steve Coleman. <br>
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He said that as landlord, the PA could boot Dubai.<br>
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Dubai Ports World, now the third-largest port operator in the world, is headed by Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, who also represented the royal family in buying two Manhattan trophy properties, the Essex House on Central Park South and the Helmsley Building at 230 Park Ave. for $1.1 billion.<br>
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<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/391274p-331782c.html">www.nydailynews.com/front...1782c.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>
<p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:olive;"><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a184/halfcent/scani1_11509.gif " style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--> <br>
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<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:navy;">For I will give you a mouth and wisdom...<br>
which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Luk 21:15</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:olive;">Jody ***Psalms 119***</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--> </p><i></i>

[John Gilbert]

I never in my wildest dreams would ever have thought I would align myself with Chucky on any issue. However, he's exactly right on this one.<br>
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It's also ironic that he went on Fox News to proclaim this obvious wrecklessness with our nation's security, as the man who owns Fox News also owns Al Jazeera and has sold a major chunk of his company to a Muslim.<br>
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[blessedayers]

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Sinister Paradise: Does the Road to the Future End at .....<br>
Dubai?</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
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<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://p203.ezboard.com/fherbsdiscussionboardfrm43.showMessage?topicID=948.topic" target="top">p203.ezboard.com/fherbsdiscussionboardfrm43.showMessage?topicID=948.topic</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:olive;"><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a184/halfcent/scani1_11509.gif " style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--> <br>
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<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:navy;">For I will give you a mouth and wisdom...<br>
which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Luk 21:15</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:olive;">Jody ***Psalms 119***</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--> </p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p203.ezboard.com/bherbsdiscussionboard.showUserPublicProfile?gid=blessedayers>blessedayers</A>  <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Ammi_/hrtcrossimage.gif" BORDER=0> at: 2/15/06 6:21 am<br></i>