US embassy cable - 04DUBLIN1195

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 001195 
 
SIPDIS 
 
MONTREAL FOR USICAO 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/T AND EB/TRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAIR, ICAO 
SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY RESPONSES TO DEMARCHE ON ICAO ASSEMBLY 
ISSUES 
 
REF: A. STATE 168348 
 
     B. STATE 129597 
 
1.  On August 9, Post delivered ref A's talking points to 
Micheal O'Mealoid and Niamh O'Brien, Department of Transport 
Assistant Principals for Aviation Regulation and 
International Relations.  O'Mealoid noted that several 
Department officials involved in ICAO issues, principally 
Robin McKay, Assistant Director General for Aviation, were on 
leave and that the GOI would refine its positions for the 
ICAO General Assembly upon their return.  O'Mealoid, however, 
did give preliminary responses to ref A's talking points, per 
below. 
 
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Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
2.  O'Mealoid said he did not expect Ireland to have 
difficulties with U.S. positions on USOAP.  Specifically, 
Ireland would likely concur with U.S. suggestions for ICAO to 
provide full final audit reports to Contracting States and 
for the USOAP audit team to validate a Contracting State's 
statements on implementing ICAO standards or accomplishing 
corrective measures. 
 
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Regional Safety Oversight Organizations 
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3.  Ireland supports regional safety oversight organizations 
and initiatives, as reflected in EU Member States' support 
for the European Single Sky, the European Civil Aviation 
Conference (ECAC), and the European Aviation Safety Agency 
(EASA). 
 
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Environment -- Emissions Charges 
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4.  O'Mealoid said that there was no Irish deviation from the 
EU position, which favors the implementation of CO2 emissions 
charges on planes flying in European airspace.  He added that 
Ireland would concur with the talking point that such charges 
would only cut CO2 emissions by cutting demand. 
 
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Flight Information Regions (FIRs) 
--------------------------------- 
 
5.  Ireland agrees in principle with the U.S. position that 
ICAO should base its decisions regarding the allocation of 
airspace in FIRs on operational efficiency of air traffic 
management, according to O'Mealoid.  He observed that Ireland 
was negotiating to take over from the UK the management of a 
North Atlantic flight information bloc.  He underscored that 
this would simply be a change in operational oversight, not 
partition of an existing FIR. 
 
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Increasing Electronic Communications 
------------------------------------ 
 
6.  O'Mealoid noted that Ireland would not have difficulty 
with the U.S. recommendation to limit the delivery of 
hard-copy documents to countries that can receive them 
electronically. 
 
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U.S. ICAO Council Candidacy 
--------------------------- 
 
7.  In regard to ref B's talking points, O'Mealoid said that 
Transport Department officials and Ireland's Mission to ICAO 
had received demarches from other countries seeking election 
to the ICAO Council and were now evaluating the candidates. 
He added that he would be surprised if Ireland did not 
support the U.S. bid for reelection to Part 1 of the ICAO 
Council, given the importance of the United States in 
international aviation. 
 
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Irish Delegation 
---------------- 
 
8.  Anne McGinley, Ireland's Representative to ICAO, will 
lead the Irish delegation at the ICAO General Assembly.  The 
Transport Department's Assistant Director General for 
Aviation, Robin McKay, will be part of the delegation, which 
will also include at least one Department of Foreign Affairs 
official.  A final delegation list will probably not be 
available until early September.  (Econoff provided to 
O'Mealoid and O'Brien the letter of invitation to 
Transportation Secretary Mineta's lunch on September 28.) 
KENNY