Arab company agrees to wider review on ports

Bush: Security not a concern
Angry Republicans and Democrats have expressed unease over what they describe as inconsistent support against terrorism by the United Arab Emirates.

Bush has threatened to veto any legislation to block the deal and forcefully defended the small but wealthy federation in the Persian Gulf as a vital ally.

“People don’t need to worry about security,” Bush said Thursday. “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.”

The White House noted the United Arab Emirates contributed $100 million to help victims of Hurricane Katrina just weeks before Dubai Ports sought approval for its business deal. It said the money was nearly four times as much as the administration received from all other countries combined, and said there was no connection between the money and the pending deal.

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