A federal panel approved the sale of a private British firm to a state-owned United Arab Emirates shipping company.* A federal panel approved the sale of a private British firm to a state-owned United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates, federation of sheikhdoms (2005 est. pop. 2,563,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. shipping company. As a result, Dubai Ports World DP World is a subsidiary of Dubai World, a holding company owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. would handle commercial operations at ports in Baltimore, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , New Jersey, New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded , Philadelphia, and Miami. The administration contends that the deal was "rigorously reviewed" and doesn't jeopardize port security--security screening would remain the responsibility of federal agencies--but it has met with outraged bipartisan opposition in Congress. Republican governors in New York and Maryland threaten lawsuits to block the sale. The UAE's ties to terrorism have generated a legitimate debate about the appropriate limits on outsourcing the management of our ports. President Bush has foolishly sought to close down that debate by suggesting that critics of the deal have a bias against Arabs. He would be better off postponing the approval, and thus finding a safe harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. from the political storm his administration has called down on itself. |
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