Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Dubai's Emir Resorts To Blackmail To Win Port Deal Approval

The Hill reports that Dubai's royal family is not too happy about congressional opposition to the sale of Britain's P&O to DP World, a port management company owned by the United Arab Emirates. The deal would give the government-owned company control of most major U.S. ports. If it is not approved, the Dubai emirate is planning to retaliate against U.S. interests.

The Hill said, "Retaliation from the emirate could come against lucrative deals with aircraft maker Boeing and by curtailing the docking of hundreds of American ships, including U.S. Navy ships, each year at its port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That deal is a $9.7 billion dollar deal Boeing has with Dubai for the sale of 42 Boeing 777 aircraft. It's already working because Boeing's lobbyist are now springing into action to help save the deal. And Boeing is headquarted in House Speaker Dennis Hastert's homestate of Illinois.

And all those U.S. military ships and planes, which are allowed docking and landing rights in the UAE, might just see those privileges withdrawn if the Dubai emirate doesn't get its way.

Have things gotten so pathetic for the U.S. that a tiny oil sheikdom can dictate to us their control over our ports? Let's just hand the terrorists the keys they need to smuggle their nuclear weapons into our country and finish us all off for good.

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