ABU DHABI — The American military in the Gulf until yesterday promoted the United Arab Emirates in its attempt to operate major ports in the United States.

Over the past week, officers from U.S. Central Command and the Coast Guard were authorized to brief Congress on the UAE's record of handling and securing port calls by U.S. Navy ships.

"I am very dismayed by the emotional responses that some people have put on the table here in the United States that really comes down to Arab and Muslim bashing that was totally unnecessary," U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid said on Thursday in Washington.

The officers said DP World facilitated the entry of American warships to Dubai, the leading port for the U.S. Navy in the Gulf, Middle East Newsline reported. DP World has bought the British firm Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation for $6.8 billion in a deal opposed by many in Congress.

"Based on my Middle East exposure, I can say that DP World is a professionally-run organization," Coast Guard Capt. Donald Bunn, based at the U.S. Navy's Maritime Liaison Office in Bahrain, said.

Bahrain hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which often uses Dubai. Officers said most of the U.S. military ships that bring equipment and personnel to Iraq often stop for refueling and maintenance in Dubai.

"Although government-owned, it lets the professionals do their job," Bunn, who serves as a liasion between the U.S. Fifth Fleet and commercial shipping in the Gulf, said.

On Thursday, DP World said it would transfer operations of the six U.S. ports to an American firm. In a statement to Congress, the company did not elaborate on the pledge, said to have been arranged by senior U.S. and UAE officials.

Officers said DP World has managed ports outside the Gulf that receive U.S. military ships. They point to Djibouti, where DP World has taken over operations of an oil terminal.

"DP World has offered concessions that would not be available from any other company," Bunn told the UAE daily Gulf News during a maritime conference in Dubai. "This is indicative of their willingness to be cooperative on security matters."

At the same time, a U.S. business group warned that congressional opposition to the DP World takeover could harm a major defense deal with the United States. The Business Group of Abu Dhabi said an unidentified U.S. company plans to sign a $1 billion contract to supply an early-warning system to the UAE.

Industry sources said this was a reference to the long negotiations between the UAE Defense Ministry and Northrop Grumman for the E-2C Hawkeye 2000. The UAE has expressed interest in purchasing five such aircraft, but negotiations had been hampered by a dispute over technology transfer.