The Board of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) held an informal session today in which the Secretariat General of the ICAO presented updated information about the safety of the skies over the Arabian Gulf. The Director of the Middle East Regional Office Mohammed Rahma said that, in direct cooperation with the countries that announced severing their relations with the State of Qatar, the staff of the office activated at 8:30 am on June 5, the day when the countries closed their sovereign skies after severing relations with Qatar, the contingency plan set forth in Annex XI to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944). In response to a question from a member of the Board, the Director of the Air Navigation Bureau Steve Kramer, said that the General Secretariat of the ICAO has no concerns about the safety of the skies over the international waters in the Gulf, as the boycotting States possess modern navigation devices and abilities covering all international airspace over the Arabian Gulf, adding that the Regional Bureau will hold a meeting on July 6 in Cairo with representatives of the countries that have cut ties with Qatar to discuss any fresh demands from Qatar regarding the opening of new air routes over the international waters in the Gulf. A number of international representatives commended the efforts being exerted by the countries and the Secretariat General of the ICAO, especially the staff of the Middle East Regional Office, and requested continuing cooperation between the Regional Office on one hand and Saudi Arabia, the Republic of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Bahrain on the other to ensure safety over international waters of the Arabian Gulf.
