Dubai Port Compromise a Sham

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Mon Feb 27, 2006 at 11:32:21 AM EST
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Think Progress explains why the compromise over the Dubai Port deal is a sham.

The deal is political, not substantive. It's designed take some heat off the White House, not protect the security of the United States.

I think the compromise a delay tactic. Does anyone expect a real investigation by the Treasury Department, another agency in the executive branch of government? I don't. As for none being needed, check out Steve Soto's post at Left Coaster on why the UAE should not be trusted with our security.

...just last year in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in which our own Chief of Staff to the US Mission to the United Nations, told Congress that the UAE was participating in the ferrying of prohibited goods to and from Saddam Hussein in violation of the UN sanctions.

See page 4 of the hearing transcript.

A second example to which I would draw your attention involved the use of ferries traveling from the United Arab Emirates to and from Iraq, ostensibly authorized only to transport passengers and their immediate possessions, not commercial goods. In a series of 661 Committee meetings, we and the British repeatedly objected to giving permission to the governments of Bahrain, Oman and Qatar to initiate their own ferry service to Iraq unless and until the illegal practices of the ferries operating from the UAE first were stopped.

We specifically took such action because several successive briefings to Committee members by the Commander of the Multinational Maritime Interception Force (MIF), operating in the Persian Gulf, confirmed with photographic evidence that commercial goods and supplies were being loaded onto ferries in the UAE in direct violation of previously agreed Committee rules governing ferry service. Other 661 Committee members severely criticized us and the British for linking our decision to block Committee approval of ferry service from other Gulf states to the ongoing problems associated with ferry service from the UAE to Iraq. However, we maintained our opposition to new ferry service and requested that steps be taken to compel the government of the