Dubai Firm May Delay Ports Takeover Deal

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he United Arab Emirates company seeking to take over management of six U.S. ports offered late Thursday to delay part of its $6.8 billion deal as the Bush administration said it would agree to a delay for the deal, which is facing intense political opposition, the Washington Post reported Friday.

The move by international ports-management firm Dubai Ports World may give the administration to try to sway the takeover plan’s many critics — who range from local to state to federal lawmakers of both major political parties — that the planned deal does not present an avenue for terrorists, the Post reported.

Administration officials faced intense questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday as they defended their decision to forgo a national security review of the deal, the Post said.

Republican and Democratic senators questioned whether the administration followed federal law when it approved DPW’s purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.

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