Delay possible on ports, Dems want probe
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-24 08:54

Nonetheless, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada sought quick action on legislation relating to the deal when Congress returns to Washington next week.

In a letter to Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., Reid said the administration's handling of the deal "could not be more flawed." Reid said he was alarmed at the failure of the administration to "exercise the full statutory authority to conduct a complete investigation into the potential national security implications of this deal."

Also Thursday, administration officials said that weeks before Dubai Ports World sought U.S. approval for the deal, the UAE contributed $100 million to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The administration said there was no connection between the request for U.S. approval of the ports deal and the UAE's contribution.

The White House, which so far has gotten a total of $126 million in international donations, said the UAE's contribution shows the close relationship between the two governments.

The deal allowing Dubai Ports World to take over significant operations at ports from New York to Miami has created an embarrassing standoff between the president and a Congress controlled by his own party.

Raising concerns about national security in an era of terrorism, Republicans and Democrats alike are crafting legislation blocking or delaying the deal with an Arab country tied to some of the hijackers from Sept. 11, 2001. Bush had pledged earlier to veto such a measure.

Officials from the Homeland Security, Treasury, Defense and State departments appeared before Chairman John Warner, R-Va., and four Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for a briefing arranged while Congress was officially away from Washington.

The officials tried to assure the panel that the deal has been subject to a careful, three-month review and that all security questions were satisfied. They said no one raised an issue that would have prompted the need for a further, 45-day investigation.

"We're not aware of a single national security concern raised recently that was not part of" the three-month review, Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt told the lawmakers.

Democratic committee members accused officials of failing to take into account issues raised about the Arab country in the Sept. 11 commission's report.

Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record) of Michigan, the top Democrat on the committee, derided the administration's "casual approach" in approving a deal involving a country "with an uneven record of battling terrorism."

Levin at one point noted that a special commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks found "a persistent counterterrorism problem represented by the United Arab Emirates."

"Just raise your hand if anybody (at the witness table) talked to the 9-11 commission," commanded Levin. There was no response from the administration's representatives.

White House Homeland Security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend said the UAE's cooperation in the fight against terrorism has changed since Sept. 11.

"They have been critical allies in Afghanistan," she told reporters at a news conference on a separate matter. "They have been critical allies in fighting the financial war against terror. They've been critical allies in terms of our military-to-military relationship."

Levin and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., accused the administration of ignoring a law that requires a longer review — an additional 45 days — if a proposed business deal could affect national security.

Kimmitt responded: "We didn't ignore the law. Concerns were raised. They were resolved."

Warner said he would ask Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to prepare a memorandum on the administration's interpretation of the law to see if it deviates from Congress' intent.

While Warner emphasized the UAE's cooperation in fighting terrorism, he questioned Kimmitt sharply on whether the reviewing agencies considered the Arab country's role in the transfer of money to al-Qaida and of nuclear components to suspect nations.

Kimmitt said those factors were taken into account.

Bush told reporters after a morning Cabinet meeting at the White House: "This wouldn't be going forward if we weren't certain that our ports would be secure. The more people learn about the transaction that has been scrutinized and approved by my government, the more they'll be comforted that our ports will be secure."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in the United Arab Emirates, where she discussed the deal with that country's officials. Earlier, in Lebanon, she said the agreement was thoroughly vetted.

"This is supposed to be a process that raises security concerns, if they are there, but does not presume that a country in the Middle East should not be capable of doing a deal like this," she said.

Republicans added to the chorus of lawmakers speaking out in their home states.

In Allentown, Pa., Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said he supports legislation to delay approval of the ports deal until Congress is able to "get a better sense as to what the security challenges are out there."

New Jersey sued in federal court to block the UAE company from taking over operations at the Port Newark container terminal until the federal government investigates possible security risks.