March 9, 2006

Statement by Congressman Castle on Withdrawal of Dubai Ports World from Deal  

Washington, DC -- Delaware Congressman Mike Castle today released the following statement regarding the announcement by Dubai Ports World that they will give all control of U.S. port terminals to independent American-owned entities. 

"In the last 48 hours, both the House and Senate took key procedural steps, which in all likelihood would have led to legislation blocking the Dubai ports deal.  As a result, it now appears that Dubai Ports has made the decision to voluntarily withdraw from the agreement and transfer P&O's North America operations over to a U.S. firm.  The American people were opposed to this deal from the beginning, and since that time, much needed attention has been paid to security at our nation's ports.  I hope Congress continues with the momentum that has built up over the last few weeks and engages in a real debate on the status of port security and rail security in this country - both of which are "soft targets," which have not been fully addressed since 9/11."  

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