Port-Management Deal to Get 45-Day Security Review
he Bush administration will conduct a second review of potential security risks in a deal it previously approved for a United Arab Emirates company to take over significant operations at six major U.S. ports, the Associated Press reported Monday.
The company, Dubai Ports World, agreed to a 45-day investigation, which lawmakers said was aimed at averting a political showdown as Congress returns to work Monday following a week off, AP said.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who helped negotiate the plan, recommended lawmakers wait for the outcome before acting on legislation to delay or block the deal, AP reported.
The Treasury Department, which oversees the review panel, said it would accept DPW’s extraordinary offer once the company formally filed a request for one. It said the same government panel will reconsider the deal that it earlier had agreed unanimously posed no national security concerns.
Some senators, including Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said they still intend to introduce legislation to block the deal pending a 45-day review and to require congressional approval before DPW can conduct business in the United States.
(Click here for previous coverage.)
