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‘New aviation treaties won’t affect country St. Maarten’
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Aug 4, 2006 15:04 UTC
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PHILIPSBURG - The negotiations of new protocols within the Central Government open sky policy will not affect island territories after the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles, says Transport Minister Kenneth Gijsbertha.
The minister said he had informed the island territories recently that he had been renegotiating existing protocols and wanted to negotiate new bilateral and multilateral aviation treaties with other countries.
Constitutional Affairs Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams said Wednesday that actions by individual members of the Central Government raised questions about whether the Central Government was making the right decisions in light of the future constitutional changes that would affect St. Maarten.
In this regard, she had raised specifically the plans for the renegotiation of aviation treaties within the Central Government’s open sky policy announced by Gijsbertha, as one area of concern.
Gijsbertha refuted Wescot-Williams’ statements. He said that while it was his right as the Minister to negotiate new treaties, this would have no effect on the future country St. Maarten.
He told The Daily Herald the Netherlands Antilles was a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), but after the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles St. Maarten would have to seek its own membership in the ICAO. Under its new status, St. Maarten would be free to negotiate whatever treaty it would want with any country and would not be obliged to adopt treaties already signed by the Netherlands Antilles.
In addition, Gijsbertha said his policy had been beneficial to the island territories. He said his policy was intended to open the market so more air traffic would be available to the islands to benefit airports, local tourist industries and airlines such as DAE in Bonaire and Winair in St. Maarten. He said he had received positive comments from Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius on his policy. St. Maarten was the only island not giving its blessing.
Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers is expected to approve next week an aviation treaty negotiated with Great Britain. After approval it will be forwarded to the Dutch Government for ratification.
Gijsbertha said the new aviation treaty provides for unlimited flights from the Netherlands Antilles to Great Britain and Ireland to be carried out by carriers either based in or designated by the three countries. In addition, the treaty will also further open the market for flights to British territories in the Caribbean.
“The current aviation treaty with Great Britain restricts Winair to fly only to three of the seven British territories in the Caribbean region,” Gijsbertha said. “The new treaty eliminates these restrictions and gives Winair the possibility to fly to all seven British islands in the Caribbean as much as it wants to.
“It also gives Winair the possibility to take passengers from intermediate points and to one of these territories and to board passengers in one of the British islands and take them to points beyond.”
Other countries with which Gijsbertha has been negotiating an aviation deal or will start negotiating soon are Aruba, Colombia, Suriname, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda and the Dominican Republic.
Gijsbertha sent a letter to all island territories on July 24 explaining his new policy and asked for a reaction. “I already have the support of four of the island territories,” he said.
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