President Bush has reaffirmed his support for a controversial deal that would allow a Dubai-based company to take over operations at several U.S. ports.
The President said in a televised interview Tuesday only the discovery of a true threat to American security would scuttle the deal.
The interview aired following a U.S. Senate committee hearing on the deal Tuesday.
At the hearing, lawmakers on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee questioned the Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Ports World - Ted Bilkey - who contends his company has met all U.S. legal requirements and should allowed to go forward with the deal.
A U.S. Coast Guard report prepared late last year said intelligence gaps made it difficult to gauge the potential security threat posed by the company if it took over operations at U.S. ports.
Bush administration officials said security concerns raised by the Coast Guard were resolved early in the process.
On Sunday, DP World and the White House announced the deal will be subjected to a second review to dispel security concerns.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
