Philippine Airlines reinstates earlier aviation agreement

DISPUTED LINK： Both sides in the dispute over direct air links are ready to get back to the bargaining table, but there are strings attached

STAFF WRITER , WITH AGENCIES

Thu, Nov 04, 1999 - Page 3

The Philippines has issued a written statement reinstating the 1996 aviation agreement, said Taiwan's defacto ambassador to the Philippines Chan Hisen-ching (詹憲-?/CHINESE>) yesterday.

Officials in both Taipei and Manila say they are ready to sit down to discuss the possibility of renewing direct air links, but each has set their own conditions for such talks.

Answering questions at the Legislature yesterday, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Fong-cheng (林?正) stressed that Taipei will only reopen talks with Manila if the new talks between the two countries are conducted on a governmental level, adding that Manila must agree that it cannot withdraw from any new agreement it will sign with Taipei.

The Philippines' conciliatory gesture also came with some strings attached.

Ebdalin, who is also the a member of the Philippines Civil Aeronautic Board (CAB), said Manila authorities were imposing two conditions: that the negotiations with Taiwan for a new agreement be completed by January 31 and that Taiwan airlines not violate the "sixth freedom" rights by picking up passengers from Manila and taking them, via Taipei, to third country destinations like the US.

Taiwan airlines will be monitored in Manila to make sure they are not picking up passengers here to fly them elsewhere, Ebdalin said.

If the negotiations for a new accord are not completed by Jan. 31, "we will terminate everything," he said.

The CAB terminated the 1996 accord in September and gave Taiwan until Sept. 30 to come up with a new agreement.

Direct Taipei-Manila flights by both counties' carriers were suspended on Oct. 1 after negotiations failed.

Manila accused Taiwan's airlines of carrying more than their allotted passenger quota and of poaching passengers from Philippine Airlines, the ailing national flag carrier.

But Taiwan has accused the Philippines of making the move to protect PAL, owned by Lucio Tan, a close friend of President Joseph Estrada, and had their air services suspended after it rejected the conditions.

Taiwan has also complained that by canceling the previous agreement, the Philippines did not abide by international procedures that call for a one-year warning before an air pact is terminated.