GOI LINATE DELEGATION LACKS CHIEF NEGOTIATOR

UNCLAS ROME 000493 SIPDIS SENSITIVE EB/TRA FOR LJONES, DOT FOR OST E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR IT KTIA AVIATION SUBJECT: GOI LINATE DELEGATION LACKS CHIEF NEGOTIATOR REF: ROME 372 Sensitive But Unclassified -- Not For Internet Publication SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Italy's chief civil aviation negotiator and Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) Director General Dr. Aldo Sansone will not participate in February 17 consultations in Washington to settle a joint complaint filed by American and United Airlines on access to Linate airport. Dr. Ezio Madalon, Sansone,s deputy, will attend in his stead. MFA North America Director Francesco Tafuri nonetheless assured EconOff February 11 that Madalon will have full authority to negotiate on behalf of the GOI. Madalon and a technical specialist from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ENAC) will join Italian Embassy officials in one-day talks. Details on the delegation follow. End summary. THE DELEGATION -------------- ¶2. The MFA supplied the following delegate names. Ezio Madalon: Madalon is poised to assume additional responsibilities, as Sansone,s portfolio at the Ministry has recently increased. Tafuri stated that Sansone will simply &no longer be able to go everywhere.8 Madalon was a member of the Italian delegation in Washington for U.S.-EU aviation negotiations in February, 2004. Francesco Persico: ENAC,s Air Transport Section Chief since 2002, Persico,s section manages airport slots and flight allocations. He was previously Palermo airport,s director, but left to replace Aldo Londei, who is now Persico,s supervisor. Italy and Washington-based delegates will hold a coordination meeting on February 16, but we have no new information on the GOI,s goals and expectations for the talks (reftel). COMMENT -------------- ¶3. We have not met with Persico; but his presence on the delegation is a positive development, as we thought a lower-ranking ENAC official would participate. Persico seems senior enough to hold his own with a higher-ranking ministry official, such as Madalon. We would have preferred to see Sansone attend the Washington talks; however, we understand that Madalon has closely followed the issue and will likely be our main MOTI interlocutor moving forward. End comment. SEMBLER NNNN 2005ROME00493 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED