Facing defeat in Congress, Dubai company, White House postpone port management deal

Responding to behind-the-scenes urgent requests from the Bush administration, and facing legislation in Congress to ban the deal — legislation with enough support easily to override President Bush’s threatened veto — Dubai Ports World, the UAE company at the center of the firestorm over U.S. port management, has “volunteered” to postpone its takeover of operations at the six major U.S. seaports in question. The rattled White House, facing sure defeat, asked the company to give it more time to convince skeptical lawmakers that the deal did not pose terrorism risks. The company’s new offer, minutely coordinated with the White House, calls for Dubai Ports World to agree not to exercise control or influence management over U.S. ports pending further discussions with the administration and Congress. The agreement is open-ended, and there is no deadline by which these discussions should be concluded.

-read more in this New York Times report; and this AP report