SOUTH AFRICA: GAUGING SAG'S COMMITMENT TO OPEN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 003288 SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED PLEASE PASS TO EB/TRA/AN/CDEMARS,JBYERLY DOT FOR OST/MSTREET AND MBODMAN, AND DAS SUSAN MCDERMOTT DOC FOR ITA/EALFORD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON SF SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA: GAUGING SAG'S COMMITMENT TO OPEN SKIES NEGOTIATIONS REF: A. SECSTATE 146214 ¶B. SECSTATE 138074 ¶C. SECSTATE 84774 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. South Africa's Chief Director for Civil Aviation Godfrey Selepe told Econoffs on August 16 that that he believed that any negotiations should include the U.S. concept for Open Skies as just one of the options to be discussed, and not the only one. Selepe said, "If there were an open minded discussion that led to Open Skies, then we could discuss the modalities of a possible Open Skies agreement." Later the same day, however, Selepe called the Embassy to say that Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe was keen to have negotiations and that one needed to "approach talks with an open mind." Selepe and his delegation are planning to arrive in Washington on August 23 for talks on August 25-26. South African delegation members are listed in Paragraph 7. End Summary. Open Skies -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Econ M/C and Econoff met with Chief Director for Civil Aviation Godfrey Selepe about upcoming civil aviation negotiations in Washington on August 25-26. Econ M/C explained to Selepe that the United States wanted to make sure that the ultimate objective of the talks was Open Skies, rather than incremental changes to an already liberal bilateral agreement. Econ M/C also indicated that the United States would be willing to talk about transition periods and phasing for certain Open Skies obligations. ¶3. (SBU) Selepe replied that this appeared to be the same position of the U.S. delegation that visited South Africa in 2001, i.e., that the only liberalization option was Open Skies. If that were the case, he said, "We (would) be confronted with the same situation that we were four years ago." He went on to say that he "had serious problems with this approach," which he viewed as an "imposition" rather than a negotiation. "What I will not allow is imposition," he added. ¶4. (SBU) Selepe then said, "If there were an open minded discussion that led to Open Skies, then we could discuss the modalities of a possible Open Skies agreement." He went on, "It (was) not possible, to be directed toward Open Skies without other (available) options," he said. ¶5. (SBU) After Minister Radebe met with Secretary Mineta in January, Selepe explained, there was a frank discussion about what was and what was not possible. If the United States had shut the door to entertaining other options during this frank discussion, then South Africa would never have agreed to aviation negotiations with the United States. However, "If Open Skies (were just) one of the options, then I (would be) perfectly willing to talk." he said. "I Won't Do That" -------------- ¶6. (SBU) By way of elaboration, Selepe said that the problem with the U.S. model was that it "was not open enough." At this point, he pulled out a fax from the Office of Aviation Negotiations sent in May that discussed the U.S. position on the application of safety and security requirements, the fly America program, ownership and control issues, the "big bang" issue, cabotage, double disapproval pricing regime, and the 2010 World Cup event (Ref C). Selepe said that if the United States wanted to negotiate Open Skies on its own terms, then South Africa "had better get another negotiator to do that, because I won't do that." "Er, I Guess I Will" -------------- ¶7. A few hours later, Selepe called Econoff to say that he had just spoken to his Minister, Jeff Radebe. Selepe said that Radebe was "keen that the talks should go ahead." Selepe told Econoff that with the flexibility that the Minister had given him, he believed that progress would be made. The meeting should go ahead as planned. Selepe specifically stated that he did not believe that the U.S. side would view the talks as a disappointment. When asked if he wanted to revise what he had said to us earlier that day, however, Selepe said that he did not. "My position is clear," he said. However, it was also clear that Selepe did not want to be seen as preventing the meeting End Comment. In fact, he later sent an e-mail stating: "Following my meeting with Messrs. Ripley and Hartley (from the U.S. Embassy) this morning, I have had a discussion with our Minister. He is keen that the talks should go ahead. We will, therefore, approach the discussions with flexibility and (an) open mind." Delegation List -------------- ¶8. (U) At the end of the day, Selepe's office asked about hotels near the State Department and provided us with the following delegation list: Mr. Godfrey Selepe, Head of Delegation Chief Director, Civil Aviation Department of Transportation Ms. Thande T. Maswanganye Acting Director for Bilateral Licensing, and Permits Department of Transportation Ms. N. Bella Sithole Assistant Director, Bilateral Affairs Department of Transportation Mr. D. Hay Manager, International Affairs South Africa Airways Mr. A Balazzi Group Manager, Route and Traffic Airport Company of South Africa The South African delegation will depart on August 22 and thus arrive on August 23, two days before the negotiations. ¶9. (SBU) Comment: Post believes that Washington negotiators should go ahead with talks next week, but should approach Selepe with care. Given his reversal with the Minister, Selepe may find himself in a vulnerable position right now. If he discovers that an Open Skies agreement with the United States fits within the negotiating parameters that his Minister has provided, he may be quick to accept this negotiating course and talks may ultimately be successful. We recommend that the U.S. chief negotiator meet with Selepe on August 24 to discuss the agenda for the next two days and to ask Selepe what he needs to move forward on an Open Skies agreement. FRAZER