DP World deal includes odd concessions

According to the AP, the deal that would allow Dubai-based DP World to take over the operation of six major U.S. ports contains several concessions that may limit access to the company's U.S. business records.

The Bush administration secretly required a company in the United Arab Emirates to cooperate with future U.S. investigations before approving its takeover of operations at six American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. It chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.

As part of the $6.8 billion purchase, state-owned Dubai Ports World agreed to reveal records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at U.S. ports, the documents said. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or operation of ports and equipment.

The administration did not require Dubai Ports to keep copies of business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to court orders. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate U.S. government requests. Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.

Does the deal potentially shield DP World from legal action in the U.S.? Are there other records of a, shall we say, compromising nature that would not be accessible, if necessary?

This sweet deal brokered by the Bush administration seems to get more and more dubious by the day. Links to two key Bush administration members already are raising some eyebrows in Washington and elsewhere.