Ports deal seems "complete sale" - senior official

WASHINGTON, Mar 9 (Reuters) A Dubai company's decision to transfer to a US entity operation of US ports it has acquired apparently will be a ''complete sale,'' a senior Bush administration official said today.

''I'm told it will be a complete sale and if that's the case, I can't imagine it not answering the problem,'' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A statement from state-owned Dubai Ports World said the company had decided to ''transfer fully'' the US operation of P&O ports in North America, which it had just acquired, to ''a United States entity.

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