US embassy cable - 04ROME1893

UNCLAS ROME 001893 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EB/TRA BYERLY, EUR/WE, EUR/ERA; 
DOT FOR PGRETCH; 
DOC FOR DE FALCO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, IT, EUN, AVIATION 
SUBJECT: CIVAIR ITALY ON U.S.-EU AGREEMENT ISSUES 

REF: STATE 91041 
 
 1. (SBU)  ALDO SANSONE, TRANSPORT MINISTRY DG FOR 
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION, TOLD ECONOFFS MAY 13 THAT ITALY WAS 
WATCHING THE U.S.-EU NEGOTIATIONS WITH CONCERN.  IN HIS VIEW, 
"THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY AN INTRA-EU PROBLEM."  SANSONE 
EXPLAINED THAT THE COMMISSION HAD REQUESTED A BROAD MANDATE 
FOR THE U.S.-EU CIVAIR NEGOTIATIONS, WHICH HAD BEEN APPROVED 
BY MEMBER STATES.  NOW THE COMMISSION HAD COME BACK FOR EVEN 
MORE NEGOTIATING AUTHORITY.  SANSONE BELIEVED THAT MEMBER 
STATES SHOULD STAND FIRM, AND INSIST ON THE LIMITS OF THE 
INITIAL MANDATE. 
 
2. (SBU) SANSONE SAW THE PROCESS OF REACHING A U.S.-EU 
AGREEMENT AS THE FIRST STEP IN  REPLACING ALL OF THE 
INDIVIDUAL MEMBER STATES' BILATERAL CIVAIR AGREEMENTS WITH 
THIRD COUNTRIES WITH NEW EU AGREEMENTS.  THE U.S.-EU 
NEGOTIATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY STRAIGHT FORWARD, IN 
SANSONE'S VIEW, SERVING AS A MODEL AGREEMENT FOR THE OTHERS. 
HOWEVER, THINGS HAD NOT GONE SMOOTHLY. 
 
3. (SBU) ITALY, MAINTAINED SANSONE, HAD WORKED TO RESOLVE THE 
VARIOUS PROBLEMS.  SANSONE HAD WORKED ON TEXT IN NOVEMBER TO 
RESOLVE THE "FREE RIDER" ISSUE.  HE HAD TRIED TO FIND A 
FORMULATION TO RESOLVE THE CABOTAGE ISSUE, BUT HAD FOUND THIS 
PROBLEM FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN EXPECTED.  SANSONE UNDERLINED 
THAT THE CABOTAGE ISSUE WAS DRIVEN BY THE COMMISSION.  ITALY, 
HE EXPLAINED, HAD NO COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN CABOTAGE IN THE 
U.S., GIVEN THAT ALITALIA COULD NOT EVEN SERVE THE ROUTES IT 
ALREADY HAD UNDER THE EXISTING BILATERAL. 

4. (SBU) REGARDING A FIRST-STEP AGREEMENT, SANSONE SAID THAT 
HE WOULD SUPPORT SUCH AN ACCORD IF IT BOTH RESOLVED THE LEGAL 
PROBLEMS WITH THE OPEN SKIES AGREEMENTS AND CONTAINED SOME 
ADDITIONAL SUBSTANTIVE CONTENT.  OTHERWISE, HE THOUGHT IT 
WOULD BE TOO MUCH TROUBLE TO NEGOTIATE FOR THE BENEFIT 
OBTAINED. 
 
5. (SBU) SANSONE REGARDED COMMISSIONER DE PALACIO'S THREAT TO 
ABROGATE MEMBER STATE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE U.S. AS A 
PROBLEM, BUT NOT A "TRAIN WRECK". HE RECALLED A DENUNCIATION, 
IN THE LATE 1960S, OF THE U.S.-ITALY CIVAIR BILATERAL. AIR 
TRAFFIC CONTINUED BETWEEN THE U.S. AND ITALY, WHILE A NEW 
AGREEMENT WAS NEGOTIATED.  HE ANTICIPATED THAT A PROVISIONAL 
ACCORD COULD BE WORKED OUT TO CONTINUE AIR SERVICES BETWEEN 
THE U.S. AND EU, EVEN IF THE BILATERALS WERE DENOUNCED. 
HOWEVER, HE HOPED THE SITUATION WOULD NOT DETERIORATE TO THAT 
POINT. 
 
VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: 
HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ROME/INDEX.CF M 
 
SEMBLER 
 
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 2004ROME01893 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED