DUBAI, Feb 26: Dubai Ports World is willing to wait 45 days to take over operations at six major US ports to give authorities time for a security review, a source close to the Arab ports operator said on Sunday.

Republican leaders have been discussing asking the company to seek a 45-day review of security concerns from the White House to fend off critics who say the deal could harm national security.

White House officials have said there were no plans to reopen the review of the $6.8 billion deal in which Dubai Ports would acquire British company P&O and with it terminal port operations in the United States.

But the source said the company was willing to wait to allay the lawmakers’ concerns.

“Dubai Ports World is ready to defer taking over the operations at the US ports for 45 days to allow time for a security review,” the source told Reuters in Dubai.

“This is not a delay of the takeover itself,” said the source, referring to acquisition of P&O which is scheduled to be completed on March 2.

Democrats and some members of President George W. Bush’s Republican Party have attacked the administration for approving the acquisition, citing evidence that two of the Sept 11 hijackers came from the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, and that Al Qaeda funding went via UAE banks.

Lawmakers in both parties have been planning legislation to block the deal. Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation and has described the United Arab Emirates as a partner in combating terrorism.—Reuters