ICAO DEMARCHE DELIVERED

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000949

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ETRD KU
SUBJECT: ICAO DEMARCHE DELIVERED

REF: A. STATE 66380


B. STATE 168200 AND PREVIOUS


1. On March 16, 2003, EconOff met with Fawaz Al-Farah, Deputy
Director General of Aviation Safety and Air Transport at
Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),and
Mohammad Abdul Rahim, Chief of the International Relations
Division at DGCA's Air Transport Department, to deliver
reftel A points. Abdul Rahim and another Air Transport
Department staff member to be determined are planning to
represent the GOK at the ICAO Worldwide Air Transport
Conference in Montreal, including the two-day preparatory
seminar March 22-23.


2. Al-Farah said that the GOK had initially intended to send
senior level officials to the conference, but decided instead
on lower, technical level representation due to the situation
in the region. Al-Farah added that Kuwait's Ministry of
Foreign Affairs has requested that the Kuwaiti Embassy in
Ottawa send its Ambassador or another senior level diplomat
to represent the GOK at the Extraordinary Assembly session
scheduled to convene immediately after the Transport
Conference.


3. While Kuwait is not an Open Skies partner, Al-Farah said
the GOK could support many of the USG positions on
liberalization of air service rights. The Kuwaiti officials,
however, would be attending the Montreal conference in
largely in a "listen-and-learn" capacity. Al-Farah said once
the situation in Kuwait settles, the GOK would be interested
in reopening discussions on Open Skies.


4. COMMENT: Per reftel B, Post has engaged in Open Skies
discussions with DGCA previously. The results of those
discussions suggested the GOK does not fully understand the
implications of Open Skies. We suggest appropriate USG
officials seek out GOK officials to review past efforts in
this regard in furtherance of Kuwait's "listen-and-learn"
mission.
JONES