SN BRUSSELS SUSPENDS OPERATIONS TO RWANDA

UNCLAS KIGALI 000221

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C, IO/T AND EB/TRA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ECON PREL PGOV BE KY RW
SUBJECT: SN BRUSSELS SUSPENDS OPERATIONS TO RWANDA
INDEFINITELY, ELIMINATING DIRECT ACCESS TO EUROPE

REF: KIGALI 184

This is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary. SN Brussels, the only carrier flying
directly from Rwanda to Europe, has suspended all
flights to Rwanda until further notice. High-level
diplomatic discussions regarding the three-day
grounding (February 21-24) of an SN Brussels flight by
the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA) did not
produce a mutually acceptable solution for the
Government of Rwanda (GOR) and SN Brussels management.
The issue has expanded beyond merely technical concerns
over SN Brussels aircrafts to accusations of racism and
political motives for the Belgian grounding of a
Rwandan cargo carrier (Silverback Cargo Freighters).
End Summary.

Grounding of SN Brussels Flight
--------------


2. (SBU) In a meeting with EconOff on February 28, Director
of the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA),Joshua
Mbaraga, asserted that SN Brussels aircrafts that operate in
and out of Rwanda have been characterized by a series of
technical defects that have raised safety concerns for some
time. This prompted an unscheduled ramp inspection on SN
Brussels aircraft 00-SFM number 463 on February 21, 2006 at
8 pm. The inspection identified several shortfalls which
resulted in the grounding of the aircraft the same day.


3. (U) RCAA cited the following reasons for the grounding of
the flight: (1) lack of life span tags, which indicate
expiration dates, on both the captain and the observer seat
belts; (2) hydraulic leak traces on the left inner slats,
indicating a potential control mechanism failure; (3) lack
of compliance with Airworthiness Directives (ADs).
(According to the RCAA, the last updates in the AD log were
made in August 2005); and (4) fuel leakage on the left
engine.


4. (SBU) SN Brussels flight 463, originally scheduled to
depart February 21, was authorized to leave Kigali airport
on Friday, February 24. While no further mechanical work
was done on the plane since the February 21 RCAA inspection,
SN Brussels clarified issues of technical requirements, such
as the seat belt expiration dates, to the satisfaction of
RCAA inspectors. Mbaraga told EconOff that while the
technical shortcomings of the detained SN Brussels aircraft
were nominally addressed, the only reason the flight was
authorized to depart was because of political pressure from
Belgium, including three separate calls from Belgian Prime
Minster Guy Verhofstadt and Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht
to Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Charles Murigande.

Links to Silverback Cargo Freighters (SCF)
--------------


5. (SBU) An aircraft, 9XR-SC, belonging to a private Rwandan
company, Silverback Cargo Freighters (SCF),has been
grounded at Zaventem Airport in Belgium since August 19,

2005. The Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) asserted
that the aircraft was deficient in several technical areas.
Officials at SCF said they believe they have addressed each
of the shortcomings, yet they have not been authorized even
a ferry permit to transit to a maintenance facility. In
fact, in a February 24 letter to the European Commission,
Innocent Mupenzi, Director General of SCF, complained that
each time SCF addressed a list of concerns, it was given
another set of reasons for the aircraft's detention in
Belgium. In addition to lost revenue, Silverback is
accruing parking charges of 950 Euros per day at the Belgian
airport.


6. (U) In December 2005, the European Union unanimously
agreed to create a blacklist of airlines that would not be
allowed to operate within the European Union. Belgium
proposed that Silverback Cargo Freighters be included on
that list, which would effectively ban their operations in
Europe. The European Union has invited each of the airlines
(including SCF) on the proposed non-public blacklist, to
present their case for exclusion from the list. The
European Commission delivered the announcement and
invitation to Silverback Cargo Freighters on Tuesday,

February 21, the same day the RCAA grounded the SN Brussels
flight.


7. (SBU) According to Silverback representatives, their
aircrafts have been flying to the United Kingdom, Holland,
and Dubai with no incident and are insured by Lloyds of
London, a reputable insurance company known for its
stringent security and safety requirements. In fact, all
SCF flights to Brussels, from its initial flight on January
26, 2005, to its most recent flight on August 19, 2005, were
incident-free. Mupenzi added that SCF was only given rights
to operate in Belgium after the Belgian Embassy in Kigali
intervened on its behalf.


8. (SBU) Mbaraga denied that the SN Brussels flight 463
grounding was a retaliatory act, and maintained that it was
a case of serious maintenance irregularities on the part of
SN Brussels. In fact, Mbaraga complained that the SN
Brussels management had not acted on prior RCAA warnings.

Souring of Belgian-Rwandan relations
--------------


9. (SBU) SN Brussels Country Manager, Serge DeWachter, told
EconOff that he was called into the Rwandan Immigration
Office on Wednesday, February 22, the day after flight 463
was grounded, and was warned about the potential revocation
of his Rwandan visa.


10. (SBU) The February 28 issue of The New Times accused SN
Brussels of racism in its treatment of affected passengers.
The article, and subsequent radio and television broadcasts,
criticized the airline for offering transit facilitation
services to white passengers continuing to Rwanda, while
Rwandan and Burundi passengers were stranded in Jamo
Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi until Sunday.
These allegations were reiterated by both the Rwandan
Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Foreign
Affairs. SN Brussels denied the allegations, saying that
all passengers arranged their own onward travel, but
acknowledged that it could have done more to assist all
passengers. Embassy received no reports to substantiate
these allegations, and the Belgian Embassy, which spoke with
some of the Rwandan and Burundi passengers, found no
evidence of racism or differential treatment.


11. (SBU) Three high-level executives from SN Brussels
arrived on March 1 to meet with Minister of Infrastructure
and Transportation, Evariste Bizimana, and RCAA Director
Mbaraga. The discussions lasted two days, resulting in
verbal assurances from the Belgians to facilitate resolution
of the Silverback affair and to resume SN Brussels
operations in Rwanda. The SN Brussels executives returned
to Belgium on March 2 with the understanding that full and
normal operations had resumed, and that the scheduled
Saturday flight would arrive in Kigali on March 4. However,
Minister Bizimana, on March 3, presented SN Brussels Country
Manager DeWachter written minutes of their meeting to sign
which were in direct contradiction to the minutes taken by
SN Brussels officials. The Rwandan-drafted minutes included
SN Brussels accepting the safety and security shortcomings
of flight 463 and an apology for the discriminatory
treatment of the African passengers. SN Brussels
representatives refused to sign those minutes, and both
sides agreed to an indefinite suspension of operations in
Rwanda.


12. (U) On February 24, Prime Minister Verhofstadt and
Foreign Minister De Gucht issued an official press release,
warning that this controversy will have a "noxious effect on
cooperation between the two countries" and that they would
inform international donors and partners of the problems
they are facing.


13. (SBU) Comment: The loss of SN Brussels' twice-a-week
service to Kigali is significant both administratively and
diplomatically. Almost all Embassy staff and visitors
travel on this direct route from Europe, which is also a
code-share with American Airlines. Last week, a Public
Affairs-sponsored training program was cancelled, as the
trainers were stuck in Belgium and were not able to complete
their travel to Rwanda. Moreover, the Mission's
unclassified pouch is delivered via SN Brussels. While SN

SIPDIS
Brussels is not a national airline, the GOR appears to be
treating the airline as such. Prolonged impasse on this

increasingly contentious issue could adversely impact
Rwandan-Belgian relations, both diplomatically and in terms
of economic development.

ARIETTI