Burns Calls On President Bush To Block UAE Port Contract Until A More Thorough Revies Is Conducted

February-21, 2006

Burns Calls On President Bush To Block UAE Port Contract Until A More Thorough Revies Is Conducted

(SAVANNAH, GA) - Max Burns, former Congressman and candidate for Georgia's New 12th District, today called on President Bush to block a United Arab Emirates (UAE) company from running six seaports in the United States and praised U.S Representative Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, for introducing legislation to temporarily halt the UAE port deal until Congress has an opportunity to conduct a more comprehensive review.

The company that currently runs the six seaports is being acquired by a UAE state-owned business, and unless the deal is blocked by President Bush the Dubai government-owned firm would assume management of the ports on March 2. The ports are currently managed by the British firm Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation, which is being purchased by Dubai Ports World (DP World).

"I have a real problem with this deal and I call on President Bush to stop it until a more thorough review is conducted," said Burns. "I don't understand how it can be in the best interests of our national security to have a foreign firm, especially when there is suspicion of having ties with terrorist organizations, running our ports."

Burns supports the action taken today by Chairman King to push emergency legislation that would:

* Require the President to place a stay on DP World's takeover of P&O ports .

* Require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) commence an immediate 45-day investigation on the takeover's effects on national security. The bill also requires CFIUS to coordinate with other agencies, such as the Coast Guard, and to take in to consideration past security assessments of ports operated by DP World.

* Require the Secretaries of Homeland Security and the Treasury to prepare a full report and brief members of Congress on their findings.

* Upon receiving the report, Congress would have the authority to disapprove the sale within thirty days.

"This contract and how it came about needs to investigate by Congress so that our national security isn't jeopardized," says Burns. "I have grave concerns about this deal and I will never put the safety and security of Georgians at risk."

The new 12th District is home to the Port of Savannah, the largest single-terminal container facility of its kind on the U.S. East coasts. As Congressman, Burns was a strong supporter of the Port of Savannah; working tirelessly to increase markets and opportunities for the port and it' workers and will continue to do so when he returns to the 110 th Congress.

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