ARGENTINA TO BACK VOSS FOR ICAO SECRETARY GENERAL

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000456 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA FOR PDAS AMBASSADOR CHARLES SHAPIRO EB/TRA/OTP FOR BIRD MATTINGLEY IO/T FOR LAURENCE TOBEY FAA FOR LEEANN HART E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA TO BACK VOSS FOR ICAO SECRETARY GENERAL REF: BUENOS AIRES 359 ¶1. The Department informed Post on Friday, February 24 that some members of the Latin American Commission on Civil Aviation (LACAC) intend to cast their votes for USG candidate William Voss as the next Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This information represented a change in the agreement that members of LACAC had reportedly reached during the organization's Executive Committee Meeting in November 2005 (Reftel A). The voting on ICAO's leadership positions was slated to begin the week of February 27. ¶2. The Ambassador spoke with key aviation/ICAO decision makers Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan and Secretary of Transportation Ricardo Jaime late on February SIPDIS ¶24. Garcia Moritan returned the Ambassador's call on Saturday, February 25 to inform him that Argentina would cast its vote for Voss. ¶3. To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires.< /a> GUTIERREZ