Sanders: No to Allowing a Middle-East Country to Operate at 6 Major Ports

SANDERS: NO TO ALLOWING A MIDDLE-EAST COUNTRY TO OPERATE AT 6 MAJOR PORTS

Congressman Bernie Sanders said today that it was absurd for the Bush Administration to okay a deal in which the operations of 6 major American ports would be placed in the hands of a middle-east country, the United Arab Emirates. Sanders said that he would work with Democrats and Republicans to make sure this agreement does not go through.

Sanders said; "At a time when we are spending billions of dollars trying to prevent terrorists attacks against us, it is beyond comprehension that the Bush Administration would okay a deal that would put the operations of 6 major American ports into the hands of a middle-east country, the United Arab Emirates which, among many other concerns, is a nation from which 2 of the 9/11 hijackers came. It is bad enough that we are outsourcing millions of good paying jobs. It is totally absurd to outsource the very security of our country."

Sanders continued; "I have grave concerns about the sale of a company operating port facilities in six major American cities to a corporation wholly owned by the government of Dubai - a country which is part of the United Arab Emirates.

Here are some things we know about the United Arab Emirates.

* At least two 9/11 hijackers came from the United Arab Emirates

* Some of the money that financed the attacks on 9/11 was laundered in Dubai. According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.

* After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts.

* The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

* The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Yet this week the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is part of the Treasury Department, approved the sale of a company which has control over shipping facilities at six major U.S. ports to - Dubai. Shipping terminals in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia will now be controlled by a foreign government - one which has not been particularly friendly to our anti-terrorist activities. This transaction makes no sense at all and should not be allowed to go through."

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4792