Today the United States Seaport Commission, a conservative public policy body devoted to preventing foreign government control of U.S. seaports, issued its statement on the proposed sale of P&O to United Arab Emirates-owned Dubai Ports World.
For the full text of their statement: http://www.usseaportcommission.org
According to this report, the assertion by the Bush administration that the U. S. government will handle security at the ports taken over by the UAE through this deal is false.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security have regulatory authority but the implementation of security provisions is carried out by the companies themselves. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Carter reluctantly admitted this to The Washington Times.
High risk cargo could sit overnight in ports waiting for inspection. Foreign executives will have the authority to wander at will through our seaports.
DP World would "have direct day-to-day management control over harbors less than a mile away from the wreckage of the World Trade Center in New York City and in busy Baltimore harbor--only a 90 minute rented-truck drive from the nation's capital, Washington, D.C."
The UAE would have access to and knowledge of all of the U. S. security systems and procedures at our seaports.
Senator Hillary Clinton asked during a senate hearing on the DP World deal how many meetings during the 30 day investigation the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had to review this transaction for national security concerns. The answer.....one meeting and some of the principals were no shows.
The 45 day public relations investigation proposed by UAE and the Bush administration doesn't address the basic concern....no foreign government should have any degree of control over U.S. seaports. Period!
It is already too late for Pier J in the Los Angeles Long Beach Harbor which is operated by The China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), which is controlled by and functioning as an arm of the government of Communist China. This is allowed to continue in the face of a threat from Chinese Gen. Xiong Guang Kai to "rain nuclear bombs on Los Angeles." And last summer another Chinese General threatened a nuclear attack against the U.S.
Wake up America! The Bush administration cares more about its deals with Arab nations than our national security.
It is long past time to stop the selling of America to foreign governments!
2 comments:
Should only half of what we suspect is behind "PortGate" be true, then we've entered into the arena of Bush's impeachment!
If the sale of the Brit-owned company is completed (as scheduled)the whole 45 day re-visit, is an exercise in futility. jmt
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