AP Wire: Coleman to hold hearing on ports deal

[PhilipShore]

AP Wire
Coleman to hold hearing on ports deal
Feb. 21, 2006

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/13927454.htm

WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman said Tuesday he will hold a hearing next month regarding a deal allowing an Arab company to take over six major U.S. seaports.

"I have grave concerns both about the sale of major U.S. ports to a United Arab Emirates company, Dubai Ports World, and the process by which that sale was approved," Coleman said in a prepared statement. "The sale must be held up so Congress can fully review its national security implications."

Coleman, a Minnesota Republican, held a hearing on port security last year before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which he chairs. That hearing focused on Government Accountability Office reports that found flaws in two Customs and Border Protection programs.

Coleman said he would request all documents related to the sale of the ports. He added in an interview that he would support legislation to block the deal until Congress has a chance to review it.