'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.