Cablegate: Icao Assembly: Sri Lanka Non-Committal On U.S.

VZCZCXRO7933
RR RUEHBI RUEHLMC
DE RUEHLM #0924 1790612
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280612Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6368
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1149
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0247
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7230
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 5335
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 2214
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 7818
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 5474
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2170
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000924

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/INS
DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER
MCC FOR S. GROFF, D. TETER, D. NASSIRY AND E. BURKE
TREASURY FOR LESLIE HULL
GENEVA PASS USTR

E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ETRD SENV ECON CE
SUBJECT: ICAO ASSEMBLY: SRI LANKA NON-COMMITTAL ON U.S.
ENVIRONMENTAL POSITIONS

REF: STATE 83246

1. (U) Summary: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) does not support
nor oppose the U.S. environmental positions for the September 2007
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly. The
Director General of the CAA cited that the CAA is not sufficiently
knowledgeable of the issues to support any position at this time.
As a member state, Sri Lanka will comply with the ICAO's recommended
guidelines per results of the ICAO Assembly meeting. End summary.

2. (U) On June 26, the Director General of the Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA), Parakrama Dissanayake, told Econoff that the
Government of Sri Lanka will not commit itself to any of the
environmental positions that the USG will present in the upcoming
ICAO Assembly. Dissanayake stated that the CAA was unfamiliar with
the subjects of emissions trading and aircraft emission charges, as
well as the respective positions of the international community
pertaining to these two environmental measures. Also present at the
meeting was W.P.M. Fernando, Director of Flight Safety for the CAA.

3. (U) Dissanayake claimed that the only research he has done on
emissions was the non-paper that Post faxed prior to the meeting,
and an article titled "Emission Impossible" from magazine "Flight"
dated June 19-25. Dissanayake said that small nations like Sri
Lanka, with a limited number of operations, are less concerned with
these issues, but realizes that emissions is a serious subject for
the more developed countries where the issue could more directly
impact manufacturers.

4. (U) Sri Lanka has not conducted any study on emissions nor
discussed this subject with regional aviation organizations. They
will, according to Dissanayake, begin to monitor the issue and will
await results of the ICAO assembly. As a member state, Dissanayake
stated that Sri Lanka will comply with ICAO's guidelines and
recommendations on emissions trading and emissions charges.

5. (U) Comment: It was clear that Sri Lanka has not given serious
consideration to the subject of emissions. Despite a cursory
comment that the GSL will monitor the progress of the debate and
will comply with the ICAO's guidelines, this is an area of low
priority, and likely will remain so for some time. While Econoff
was explaining subjects in more detail, both Dissanayake and
Fernando did not engage her, rather they listened quietly and
repeated that Sri Lanka was too small of a country to be negatively
impacted by international guidelines on emissions.

BLAKE

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