US: Republicans in Congress have moved to block the takeover of six American ports by an Arab-owned company, defying President Bush's threat to veto any such legislation.
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are backing a plan by California's Jerry Lewis, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, to attach an amendment killing the ports deal to a Bill authorising extra spending for the Iraq war and hurricane recovery.
"I have heard from many of my constituents who have strong concerns about the possibility of foreign-owned companies managing US ports.
"I have also heard from many of the members of my committee who have similar concerns.
"I have been working with the Republican leadership and relevant authorising committee chairmen to craft an amendment . . . to address these concerns," Mr Lewis said.
The move reflects unease among Republicans over the prospect of Dubai Ports World taking over the management of six US ports as part of its takeover of British company P&O.
The company is controlled by the government of Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates, which some US legislators believe has a mixed record on terrorism.
The US public is overwhelmingly opposed to the ports deal and Republicans fear they could be outflanked by Democrats on national security issues during this election year. The administration's decision to subject the ports deal to a 45-day security investigation has done little to calm Republican nerves.
House majority leader John Boehner acknowledged that Republican concerns about the deal were partly motivated by political conditions.
"This is a very big political problem. We're into one of these situations where this has become a very hot political potato, and when that happened, members are here representing their constituents," he said.
The White House said yesterday that Mr Bush's position on the ports deal remained unchanged, but Mr Lewis suggested opponents of the deal could probably secure the two-thirds majority in the House and Senate needed to overturn a presidential veto.
"I don't go out of my way to send Bills to the president that are veto-bait. If it leads to a veto, so be it. If that veto is overturned, so be it," Mr Lewis said.