REMARKS
FOR
THE
HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY
OF TRANSPORTATION
SIGNING
OF OPEN SKIES AVIATION AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 22, 2002
2
P.M.
Minister Gayssot and the
entire French delegation, welcome to the United States, and to Washington, DC.
The last time we saw each other, was in June at Versailles.
As I recall, the weather was a little warmer then.
Today is a very important
day for us as we sign our newest Open Skies Aviation Agreement, and it is
especially gratifying to be joining with France. If you will recall, we had to cancel our first attempt to
negotiate this agreement in September when the United States was attacked from
the skies by terrorists.
But now, a little more than
four months later, we are striking another blow against terrorism.
We are making those same skies more free, instead of letting the
terrorists scare us out of the skies or scare us out of working with our friends
and allies.
With this agreement, we are
also opening one of the most important international aviation markets to the
United States—France. Your
country is one of the top five international destinations for U.S. travelers and
cargo. Our agreement with France
means the United States now has reached Open Skies agreements with 56 countries,
including 21 in Europe.
This historic agreement
gives more freedom and choice to travelers and shippers in both of our countries
by eliminating restrictions on how often carriers can fly between our two
countries, the kind of aircraft they use, and the prices they can charge.
Thank you, Minister Gayssot,
for your leadership in making this agreement a reality.
I look forward to our countries’ continued cooperative relationship on
transportation issues.
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