ICAO ASSEMBLY: SRI LANKA SUPPORT OF U.S. POSITIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000923 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EB/TRA, IO/T, SCA/INS FAA FOR JIM FILIPPATOS, DI REIMOLD, CARL BURLESON MCC FOR S GROFF, D TETER, D NASSIRY AND E BURKE TREASURY FOR LESLIE HULL, AMIT SHARMA, AND JULIA PHILIPP TSA FOR JILLENE MACCREERY SIPDIS US MISSION TO ICAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON ETRD SENV CE SUBJECT: ICAO ASSEMBLY: SRI LANKA SUPPORT OF U.S. POSITIONS ON AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY REF: SECSTATE 77572 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka generally supports all the U.S. positions on aviation safety and security for presentation at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly. The Director General of the CAA, however, wanted more information on the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program and the Aviation Security Point of Contact Network, and argued against the need for more regional safety oversight organizations. Overall, the Director General is pleased to work with post on ICAO matters, especially as Sri Lanka is scheduled to undergo an ICAO security audit in November 2008. End summary. ¶2. (U) On June 21, the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka, Parakrama Dissanayake, told Econoff that he generally supported reftel U.S. positions on aviation safety and security to be presented at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly. Details of his comments are noted below under their respective topics. Dissanayake said that Sri Lanka was subject to an ICAO security audit in 2006 and will undergo a systems audit in November 2008. He described the relationship between Sri Lanka and ICAO as generally good, adding that there were no unresolved issues between the two parties. He was unsure, however, whether Sri Lanka will participate in the ICAO Assembly this year, citing lack of available personnel. -------------- Aviation Safety -------------- Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program -------------- ¶3. (U) Dissanayake noted that the results of Sri Lanka's 2006 audit (per Annex 17 of the Chicago Convention) resulted in few concerns and that Sri Lanka has since rectified three or four of the total six/seven recommendations made. He perceived the safety risk analysis as a proactive process to manage safety. He highlighted Sri Lanka's Airlines Flight Data Analysis Program which applies the same concept as the proposed safety risk analysis. He queried whether the ICAO or the individual states will incorporate the program and monitor the data. Safety Enhancement -------------- ¶4. (U) Dissanayake supported the establishment of an Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system but wanted more information on its focal point, accessibility, authority, and format. He stressed that it should be user-friendly and that the information be limited to avoid duplication from other information-sharing systems already in place. Regarding the adoption of the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) taxonomy to report aviation accident and incident data, Dissanayake preferred to continue using ICAO and local phraseology rather than learning a new set of terminology and abbreviations. Technical Assistance -------------- ¶5. (U) Dissanayake supported the role of regional organizations to provide safety oversight. He did not, however, support the need for more organizations as they would duplicate already existing organizations which would result in an overlap of objectives and reporting. He also queried whether other countries could gain access to information from other regional oversight organizations. COLOMBO 00000923 002 OF 003 Dissanayake was also concerned that additional organizations would take away the funds from existing organizations that depend on loans and grants from private and public donors. He highlighted the World Bank and asked how committed it was to financially support the aviation industry as it was not a humanitarian program, and whether the World Bank would continue to fund existing programs while financing new ones. Dissanayake discussed how the Cooperative Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Program (COSCAP) for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries already played the role of the regional safety oversight authority and noted that it was annually losing funding from donors. Air Navigation Systems -------------- ¶6. (U) Dissanayake expressed appreciation for the U.S. commitment to providing Global Positioning System (GPS) - Standard Positioning Service (SPS) signals, and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) signals. He noted that Europe, India and Japan are also developing their own air navigation systems. -------------- Air Security -------------- Universal Security Audit Program -------------- ¶7. (U) Dissanayake wanted details on how ICAO's Coordinated Assistance and Development Branch (CAD) would help States raise their level of aviation security compliance, and whether it might include funding, provision of expertise or other types of material support. Regarding the Aviation Security Point of Contact Network, he was not aware of this program and wanted more information on it and asked whether Sri Lanka can gain controlled access of it. Lastly, Dissanayake argued against the U.S. position that limited resources do not prohibit development. He contended that lack of resources constrain and prevent states from getting more expensive equipment, as well as recruiting, training and retaining skilled people. Unmanned Aircraft Systems -------------- ¶8. (U) Dissanayake agreed with the proposal and offered no additional comment. Halon Replacement -------------- ¶9. (U) Dissanayake wanted to know what the grace period was, in relation to desired expiration date, for aircraft with already-installed halon systems to terminate and replace their halons. ¶10. (SBU) COMMENT: Dissanayake has served as the Director General of the CAA since May 2007, and informed Econoff that he will be in office for two more years. He has been involved in the national aviation industry for over 17 years, including service as an air traffic controller and supervisor at the Bandaranaike International Airport; Director of Air Traffic for Air Drones; Director General of Air Drones and Air Navigation Services; and Director of Aero-Nautical Services and Aviation Security. Very familiar with the ICAO and Sri Lanka's participation with the organization, Dissanayake was meticulous in going over the U.S. positions with Econoff, which he generally supported except for a few points in which he wanted additional details and clarification. COLOMBO 00000923 003 OF 003 BLAKE