TRANSITIONING KOSOVO AIRSPACE TO CIVILIAN CONTROL

UNCLAS USNATO 000583 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON CNAR PGOV KV SR NATO SUBJECT: TRANSITIONING KOSOVO AIRSPACE TO CIVILIAN CONTROL REF: PRISTINA 546 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: USNATO conveyed reftel concerns to the head of NATO's Airspace Management Division Georgio Cioni on December 11. Cioni, who chairs the Kosovo airspace transition technical panel, insisted that the Kosovo Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) does have an equal voice on the panel and that he welcomes their input. Cioni expressed surprise that the KCAA was not onboard with the proposed way forward, as he said that KCAA representatives have never expressed opposition. USNATO will monitor the process to ensure the KCAA's voice is heard but recommends strongly that the KCAA conveys its objections and ideas within the technical panel. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. ¶2. (SBU) In response to Embassy Pristina concerns with regard to transitioning control of NATO's airspace to civilian control (reftel),USNATO approached head of NATO's Airspace Management Division Georgio Cioni on December 11 to reinforce reftel concerns. Cioni chairs the technical panel that is examining ways forward for transitioning Kosovo airspace to civilian control. We informed him that the Kosovo Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) was not onboard with the recently proposed way forward and stressed that the U.S. expects the KCAA's voice be heard. ¶3. (SBU) Cioni was taken completely offguard. He insisted that the KCAA does have an equal voice, he welcomes their ideas and proposals, and that NATO is not trying to impose a solution. Cioni said the KCAA representatives have never expressed opposition to the proposed way ahead in the panel or to him off-line. He claimed they had indicated their satisfaction, saying it would advance KCAA control of Kosovo's lower airspace and, since it would only be an interim solution, would not irreversibly force their hand with regard to upper airspace. Moreover, he said the KCAA has been talking with the Albanian National Air Traffic Agency to have them represent the KCAA's interests with regard to upper airspace in the proposed arrangement. ¶4. (SBU) Cioni's statement that the technical panel does not represent an attempt by NATO to impose a solution is accurate. It is a collaborative attempt to bring all relevent players together at a technical level in order to find a way forward without politicizing the issue. The U.S. endorsed the panel's creation on January 29. The main ideas were to ensure Kosovo a seat at the table and to embed the issue within the larger context of Europe's move to integrate civil airspace within regional blocs. In addition to NATO and the regional civil air management agencies, the European Commission, Eurocontrol, International Air Transport Association (IATA),International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),and the Kosovo ICO/EUSR are all represented on the panel. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: We strongly recommend that the KCAA convey its objections and ideas within the technical panel process. The panel provides the KCAA an opportunity to sit at the table with regional counterparts and international organizations and demonstrate that it is a legitimate, responsible member of the civil aviation community. We will monitor the process to ensure the KCAA's voice is heard. We caution against overtly inserting ourselves, as doing so will draw in the non-recognizers as well as other Allies. Further, it would undermine the KCAA's own credibility and give the Serbia-Montenegro Air Traffic Agency an excuse to withdraw. DAALDER