WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, expressed outrage over a $6.8 billon deal to sell control over the Ports of New York and New Jersey (as well as the ports of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and New Orleans) to Dubai Ports World, a state-owned United Arab Emirates (UAE) company.  The agreement is scheduled to take place on March 2^nd and was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) last month.

Smith announced that he would support emergency legislation to be introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) – Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security – that would: require President Bush to freeze the takeover by Dubai Ports World without delay; require CFIUS to immediately begin a 45-day investigation of the potential effects of the deal on national security; require Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to investigate and fully brief members of Congress on their findings; grant Congress the authority to disapprove of the sale within thirty days.

“The decision to sell control over US Ports to a state-owned corporation from a country that has serious ties to Al Qaeda and the attacks on 9/11 is wrong on many levels,” said Smith, who noted that hijacker Marwan Yousef al-Shehhi – who crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower on 9/11 – was from the United Arab Emirates.  “Our ports are a crucial entry point to America and in a post 9/11 world, we cannot afford to take chances with our security by outsourcing port protection to countries with questionable ties to radical Islamic extremism.”

The United Arab Emirates has a questionable record when it comes to dealing with global security.  Prior to 9/11, UAE was one of three world governments to recognize the Taliban.  In addition, the FBI maintains that money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through UAE’s banking system.  It is also believed that that the UAE has been used as a transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear materials to countries including Iran and North Korea.

“The security of America is not for sale, and I hope that President Bush will correct this mistake by suspending this deal and investigating the reasoning behind this misguided decision,” Smith said.