Venezuela, US In Talks To End Air Dispute
US aviation officials on Monday met for talks with Venezuelan authorities to resolve a dispute over international aviation rights after Caracas threatened to suspend flights by US airlines.
A five-member delegation from the US Federal Aviation Administration arrived in Caracas over the weekend to carry out technical inspections of Venezuela's aviation safety standards and attempt to reach an agreement.
Venezuela's INAC aviation agency warned in February it would curtail flights by American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines from March 30 if the FAA did not lift decade-old restrictions on Venezuelan airlines flying to US airports.
"It's a matter of public confidence and trust that safety oversight organizations work together," FAA representative Mike Daniels told reporters during a meeting with INAC in Caracas.
The threat of an airline showdown has fueled tensions between left-wing President Hugo Chavez and the United States, which receives about 15 percent of its energy imports from Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Venezuela says that it has made significant progress in aviation safety since it was first downgraded to a category 2 by the FAA in 1995, a move which imposed restrictions on Venezuelan airline services to US airports.
Caracas believes it has since complied with international standards and should be restored to a category 1 rating to allow its carriers to compete on those routes. Officials say they could suspend the ban depending on the FAA talks.
"The government has shown willingness to temporarily suspend the measure, depending on the atmosphere during the talks," Infrastructure Minister Ramon Carrizalez told reporters. "We are here to discuss this and the aviation authorities are going to verify we are in compliance."
Washington has warned it will respond in kind to any move to ban flights by US carriers to Venezuela.
Venezuela's government is caught up in a heated diplomatic squabble with the administration of US President George W. Bush, who Chavez constantly attacks for his "imperialist" foreign policies and free-trade proposals for the region.
US officials want their Latin American allies to help curb Chavez, a close ally of Cuba who Washington says has become a negative influence by using his country's oil wealth to spread a message of socialist revolution.
A five-member delegation from the US Federal Aviation Administration arrived in Caracas over the weekend to carry out technical inspections of Venezuela's aviation safety standards and attempt to reach an agreement.
Venezuela's INAC aviation agency warned in February it would curtail flights by American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines from March 30 if the FAA did not lift decade-old restrictions on Venezuelan airlines flying to US airports.
"It's a matter of public confidence and trust that safety oversight organizations work together," FAA representative Mike Daniels told reporters during a meeting with INAC in Caracas.
The threat of an airline showdown has fueled tensions between left-wing President Hugo Chavez and the United States, which receives about 15 percent of its energy imports from Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Venezuela says that it has made significant progress in aviation safety since it was first downgraded to a category 2 by the FAA in 1995, a move which imposed restrictions on Venezuelan airline services to US airports.
Caracas believes it has since complied with international standards and should be restored to a category 1 rating to allow its carriers to compete on those routes. Officials say they could suspend the ban depending on the FAA talks.
"The government has shown willingness to temporarily suspend the measure, depending on the atmosphere during the talks," Infrastructure Minister Ramon Carrizalez told reporters. "We are here to discuss this and the aviation authorities are going to verify we are in compliance."
Washington has warned it will respond in kind to any move to ban flights by US carriers to Venezuela.
Venezuela's government is caught up in a heated diplomatic squabble with the administration of US President George W. Bush, who Chavez constantly attacks for his "imperialist" foreign policies and free-trade proposals for the region.
US officials want their Latin American allies to help curb Chavez, a close ally of Cuba who Washington says has become a negative influence by using his country's oil wealth to spread a message of socialist revolution.
posted by Alice at
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home