President Seeks to Calm Furor Over Port-Management Security

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resident Bush on Thursday sought to assure critics that U.S. port security is adequate as he faces an ongoing political uproar from both parties over a United Arab Emirates company potentially taking over operations at six major U.S. ports, the Associated Press reported.

Under a secrete agreement with the 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, AP reported.

Bush said that the more people learn about the proposed takeover, the more confident they will be that the ports will be secure.

State, local and federal politicians from both parties have blasted the administration over the ports’ transfer to Dubai Ports World, owned by the UAE government, after DPW bought a British company that operates six major U.S. ports on the East Coast. (Click here for previous coverage.)

In approving the $6.8 billion purchase, the administration chose not to require DPW to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts, AP reported.

It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government, AP said.

Several Senate committees, including the banking panel, have scheduled hearings on the transfer, Reuters reported.