AUGUSTA – Fearing the potential increased risk of terrorism, Maine’s congressional delegation is united in urging President Bush to delay implementing a deal allowing an Arab firm to take over operations of six major seaports in the United States.

If the president doesn’t delay the deal, which involves the $6.8 billion sale of a British company to a state-owned business from the United Arab Emirates, Maine’s delegation will support legislation to block the agreement.

“This is the very least that should be done,” said Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, pointing out that a bill to delay the deal has already been introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. “There is no reason for haste or to move in a precipitous fashion.”

As chairwoman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Coast Guard, Snowe said she has written a letter to the agency asking several detailed questions about the security oversight the Coast Guard would have over the company.

“Frankly, we need the answers to those questions before I could support moving forward on this deal,” she said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Bush continues to defend the deal that has been approved by his administration, and he threatens to veto any legislation that tries to delay Dubai Ports World’s planned takeover on March 2 of operations at the seaports in New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the foreign company would have no control over security arrangements at the ports.

“If this transaction were blocked, this would not change port security one iota,” he said at a White House news briefing. “The Coast Guard and the Customs and Border Patrol remain in charge of our security. The Coast Guard remains in charge of physical security. The Customs and Border Patrol remains in charge of cargo security.”

But U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, said Wednesday a delay is needed until a thorough review of all the details of the contract is completed. He said the agreement needs far more transparency than it currently has.

“It’s not clear, but I believe there may be serious security issues here, and we just don’t know enough yet,” he said. “The House and the Senate both need to take a careful look at this before it proceeds.”

In addition to Frist, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert as well as the democratic minority leaders in both the House and Senate have called for a delay of the deal over the last few days. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, also has sought a delay.

“It is critical to our national security that the government thoroughly reviews pending foreign investments in the United States,” she said. “The administration should be working more closely with Congress where acquisitions are of such a sensitive nature.”

Collins said her committee would move quickly to review the deal once a delay is in place.

Rep. Mike Michaud said he cannot understand why the president is insisting on the deal moving forward without legislative review.

“One of the ultimate responsibilities of the federal government is to make sure we keep folks safe here at home,” said the Maine Democrat. “To push to have one of the Arab countries take over operation of our ports is just taking the wrong direction. We need a thorough review of this.”

All of the Maine delegation members are baffled at the president’s threatened veto.

“I can’t imagine who his political advisers are that they would let him do that,” Allen said. “We are talking a delay, not blocking the deal. To say he is going to veto this legislation is just strange.”

Snowe shared in the disbelief.

“It may well be the administration has all the answers to the questions, but I think that is frankly for us to determine,” she said.

All four delegation members said the first order of business in the House and Senate on Monday should be swift passage of legislation to delay the takeover of the ports next Thursday. And all believe a veto will likely be overridden if the president carries through with his threat.