CANADA SEEKING U.S. VIEWS ON RENEWED

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000305 SIPDIS EEB/TRA FOR DAS JOHN BYERLY AND EEB/TRA/AN FOR TERRI ROBL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER EAIR ASEC CA SUBJECT: CANADA SEEKING U.S. VIEWS ON RENEWED BEIRUT-MONTREAL AIR LINK Classified By: Acting Pol/C Kurt van der Walde, reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (C) Prime Minister Harper and his cabinet will decide at the end of April whether to explore some form of renewed air link between Montreal and Beirut, according to a Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) contact. DFAIT counter-terrorism policy advisor Marc Andre Boivin told acting Pol/C on April 17 that he was not acting on instructions but was nonetheless seeking informally to gauge possible USG reactions to a renewed air link. Boivin claimed the original decision to suspend the route in 2003 was based in part on USG concerns about the security of the Beirut airport and the dangers posed to North America by direct service. The "large, politically active" Montreal-centered Lebanese Diaspora and Air Canada are driving the effort to renew air links, said Boivin. ¶3. (C) The Cabinet will examine three options for renewed Montreal-Beirut service, according to Boivin: direct service on Air Canada, an Air Canada code-share with Lufthansa via Frankfurt, or maintenance of the status quo. Currently, Canadians wishing to travel to Beirut must generally fly to Frankfurt or Paris and change over to Lufthansa or Air France for the last leg of the journey, Boivin said. Air Canada prefers to re-start a direct Montreal-Beirut link to capture the maximum amount of revenue that it is currently losing to the German and French flag carriers, Boivin added. Its fallback position, he continued, is to press the government for permission to enter into a code share arrangement with Lufthansa, which is less lucrative than a direct route but better than the current situation. ¶4. (C) Action request: Post requests Department guidance to respond to DFAIT's informal inquiry on USG views for renewed Montreal-Beirut air service. ¶5. (C) Comment: Boivin said senior DFAIT and Public Safety officials continue to have concerns about security standards at the Beirut airport. He hinted that they will seek to block direct service, pushing to maintain the status quo or acquiesce to an Air Canada-Lufthansa code share flight via Frankfurt. DFAIT officials appear to be seeking USG assistance to bolster their argument against cabinet advocates for Air Canada and political advisors hoping to gain favor for the Harper Government with the Lebanese Diaspora. Canada may have another general election as early as next spring, and the Conservatives are looking for votes in traditional Liberal strongholds, including Montreal's Lebanese community. End comment. Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / BREESE