Reilly decries lack of notice on port deal

Local antiterrorism officials should have been told in advance about a Dubai firm's bid to manage cargo operations in several US ports, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly said yesterday, arguing that those responsible need more information before judging whether the deal jeopardizes port security.

The Bush administration has been criticized since White House officials admitted last month that a bid by DP World to buy the international port operations of a British firm, Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., had been approved without reaching the president's desk.

After the backlash, the administration and DP World agreed to a 45-day delay of the $6.8 billion sale to allow for further scrutiny. If the deal goes through, DP World would run cargo operations at several large US ports and would have a smaller role in Boston, acting as a middleman between ship owners and longshoremen.

''If DP World assumes P&O's operations on Boston's waterfront . . . they would have an immediate role in key decisions on security measures and gain access to critical information on the operations and infrastructure of our port," said Reilly, a Democrat who is running for governor.

Governor Mitt Romney was pleased with the decision to postpone the sale for 45 days, a spokesman said yesterday.

''It's fair to say that it should have been raised with the leadership of the affected states, but then again it was apparently not even raised at the top level of the White House," said Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom.