Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BELGRADE1767
2006-10-27 08:33:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Belgrade
Cable title:  

SERBIA CIVIL AVIATION UPDATE

Tags:  EAIR SR MW YU KTIA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0024
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBW #1767/01 3000833
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270833Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9639
INFO RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 3550
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0272
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
UNCLAS BELGRADE 001767 

SIPDIS

EB FOR EB/TRA/AN T. ENGLE/T. COLEMAN
PARIS FOR FAA/L. LUI
USDOT FOR FAA/CHRIS SHARP
USEU FOR FAA/MARK BURY

SENSITVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR SR MW YU KTIA
SUBJECT: SERBIA CIVIL AVIATION UPDATE

REF: BELGRADE 1305 AND PREVIOUS

SUMMARY
-------
UNCLAS BELGRADE 001767

SIPDIS

EB FOR EB/TRA/AN T. ENGLE/T. COLEMAN
PARIS FOR FAA/L. LUI
USDOT FOR FAA/CHRIS SHARP
USEU FOR FAA/MARK BURY

SENSITVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR SR MW YU KTIA
SUBJECT: SERBIA CIVIL AVIATION UPDATE

REF: BELGRADE 1305 AND PREVIOUS

SUMMARY
--------------

1. (SBU) Econoff met with authorities at the Civil Aviation
Directorate (CAD) on October 20, 2006, to discuss the status
of the Open Skies (OS) Agreement and progress on the new
draft law on civil aviation. CAD's legal representative told
Econoff that all ministries except the Ministry of Finance
have provided comments on the OS text. There is general
agreement to the proposed U.S. text, with the exception of
Article 17, the removal of which the Government of Serbia
(GOS) will seek on the grounds that the language falls
outside of the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) standard definition of territory. A formal response
to the U.S.-proposed text is expected in November after the
MOF submits its comments. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) on October 20, 2006, Econoff met with officials at the
Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia for an
update on the proposed text for a new Open Skies bilateral
civil aviation service agreement and to discuss the new draft
law on civil aviation. Present at the meeting from CAD were
Acting Director General Dragoljub Trgovcevic and Director of
International Relations Zorica Radosavljevic.


3. (U) Radosavljevic said that the proposed OS text had been
circulated to relevant ministries for comments, and CAD has
received comments from all except the Ministry of Finance.
Its comments are expected within the next two weeks.
Thereafter, a formal response will be drafted by CAD and
given to Post sometime in November.


4. (SBU) Radosavljevic said that generally speaking, the GOS
welcomes the proposed U.S. text. Comments from the National
Bank of Serbia were positive and indicated that the
commercial and financial issues like foreign exchange and
pricing provisions in the text were achievable.


5. (SBU) However, she indicated that the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Capital Investments (MCI)
raised objections to Article 17, which defines the scope of
application to include all relevant United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) resolutions. She conceded that this had been
agreed upon in the past, but asserted that political
realities had changed. Both ministries stated in their
comments that it is unusual for a political issue like Kosovo
to be included in a bilateral agreement and that such
agreements should not be referencing UNSC resolutions. She
reiterated that the GOS will request that Article 17 be
removed from the text and that a standard ICAO definition of
territory be used.

PROGRESS TOWARDS PREPARING FOR IASA AUDIT
--------------

6. (U) Although it is yet to be formally requested, the CAD
preparing for an International Aviation Safety Assessment
(IASA) audit in the near future. Post recently provided USD
200,000 to the CAD for training of flight crew and inspectors
based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technical
review team's recommendations. In addition, a new draft law
on civil aviation has been completed and the CAD would like
input from the FAA before it is submitted into the formal
government process. CAD sent the draft law on civil aviation
to Mark Bury at the FAA in Brussels earlier in October for
review.


7. (SBU) Trgovcevic mentioned that representatives from the
European Commission conducted an audit of CAD two weeks ago
in relation to the European Common Aviation Area agreement
signed earlier this summer. Official results of the audit
have not yet been received, but Trgovcevic was unofficially
informed that the CAD passed the audit. He also mentioned
that Serbia will become a full member of the Joint Aviation
Authorities (JAA) in December after a successful audit in
July.

COMMENT
--------------

8. Trgovcevic believes that Serbia will be ready for an IASA
audit after the passage of the civil aviation legislation,
which is expected in early 2007. We recommend sending
another FAA technical review team early 2007 in preparation
for a final IASA audit. There are funds remaining from a

U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA) grant to fund this kind
of trip.

POLT