'Open skies' deal signed

'Open skies' deal signed

WASHINGTON (AFP): The United States and Malaysia signed an
"open skies" agreement Saturday, eliminating restrictions on
airlines from each other's countries, officials said.

"The economic and consumer benefits demonstrated by the
success of open skies in Europe, as well as by our liberal
agreement with Canada, are increasingly convincing other
countries to abandon protectionism and move with us toward a
global open market in aviation," said U.S. Transportation
Secretary Rodney Slater.

The accord signed in San Francisco by Slater and Malaysian
Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik extends liberalization beyond
the standard "open skies" arrangement by allowing U.S. airlines
to fly cargo between Malaysia and third countries, according to
the Transportation Department.

The U.S. has 24 open skies agreements, including five others
in the Pacific Rim with Taiwan, New Zealand, Singapore and
Brunei. Negotiations are continuing with South Korea.