CODE 18-77
Reference
12
Mr K E Pierce
SecPol Dept
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC031/10
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
Z / FEB 1990
DESK OFFICER INDEX
OPEN SKIES: AREA OF APPLICATION
REGISTRY
PA
Action Taken
1. You have asked for our urgent comments on the draft submission attached to your minute dated 22 February on 'open skies' with regard to extending the area of application to our dependent territories.
2.
If we are only dealing with military overflights then we can accept the submission as it stands. However, as civil aviation matters in the DTs, including control of air space is not a reserved responsibility of HMG, we cannot agree to this proposal without the advice and consent of local governments. Legal Advisers and MAED can advise on this point. It would be preferable therefore to amend the last sentence of para 5 to read:
I recommend that notwithstanding the French and Dutch positions described above, we indicate our wish at Ottawa to see Bermuda and the Caribbean dependent territories included but say that before we can make any commitment we shall need to consult local governments".
The recommendation in para 2 should be suitably amended.
3. I note that you propose to exclude southern hemisphere territories. Do we
take it that this includes Ascension Island on which the US run and operate Wideawake Airfield?
Sof
PA Penfold
West Indian & Atlantic Dept WH MZ 37
270 2699
23 February 1990
CC:
Mr Berman, Deputy Legal Adviser Mr Henderson, SED
Mr Edgar, Soviet Dept
Mr Turner, EAD
Mr Sawyer, Defence Dept
Ms Gallagher, FID
Ms Major, HKD