Lawmakers hit UAE ties to Saddam, al Qaeda

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Lawmakers from both parties say the United Arab Emirates has helped shuttle weapons components around the Middle East, has ties to al Qaeda and shouldn't be trusted to operate terminals in U.S. ports.

The legislators, disputing the Bush administration's contention that the United Arab Emirates has been a loyal ally in the war on terror, are citing findings by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control and the September 11 commission report among their evidence.

According to the Wisconsin Project, an anti-proliferation group, United Arab Emirates officials in 2003 allowed 66 switches used in nuclear weapons to be sent to a Pakistani man. In the mid-1990s, they also allowed representatives of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, to ship technology through Dubai to Iran.

It also says the Iraq Survey Group, which oversaw United Nations sanctions against Iraq, in 2004 listed 20 UAE firms suspected of having acted as intermediaries or front companies for Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and said the United Arab Emirates was a transit area for prohibited goods, such as rocket fuel ingredients, with companies using deceptive trade practices.

"I don't think those are the folks you want running your ports," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, California Republican, said yesterday.

Mr. Hunter said he gave the Wisconsin Project information to top administration officials last week, who were unaware of the details and have begun reviewing them. He said he discussed the issue with President Bush yesterday, and gave White House aides more documentation.

Mr. Hunter also introduced legislation yesterday that would block the $6.8 billion DP World bid to purchase terminal operations in six major U.S. ports and kick out all foreign companies that own port terminals or other U.S. infrastructure.

The initial Bush administration approval of the Dubai-owned company's bid for the operations now privately owned by London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. prompted national security concerns on Capitol Hill. It's now under a 45-day executive review.

Mr. Bush, who along with top security officials and Cabinet members did not find out about the deal until its approval by an interagency panel, has final say over the proposal he continues to support.

"A terrorist will try to exploit every possible means to carry out their evil plans. The fact remains, however, that the United Arab Emirates has been a strong and valuable partner in the global war on terror," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.