VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0221/01 0651549
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061549Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2481
INFO RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE 0109
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI IMMEDIATE 0402
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAHNA/FAA WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS KIGALI 000221 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C, IO/T AND EB/TRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR ECON PREL PGOV BE KY RW
SUBJECT: SN BRUSSELS SUSPENDS OPERATIONS TO RWANDA 
INDEFINITELY, ELIMINATING DIRECT ACCESS TO EUROPE 
 
REF: KIGALI 184 
 
This is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  SN Brussels, the only carrier flying 
directly from Rwanda to Europe, has suspended all 
flights to Rwanda until further notice. High-level 
diplomatic discussions regarding the three-day 
grounding (February 21-24) of an SN Brussels flight by 
the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA) did not 
produce a mutually acceptable solution for the 
Government of Rwanda (GOR) and SN Brussels management. 
The issue has expanded beyond merely technical concerns 
over SN Brussels aircrafts to accusations of racism and 
political motives for the Belgian grounding of a 
Rwandan cargo carrier (Silverback Cargo Freighters). 
End Summary. 
 
Grounding of SN Brussels Flight 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a meeting with EconOff on February 28, Director 
of the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA), Joshua 
Mbaraga, asserted that SN Brussels aircrafts that operate in 
and out of Rwanda have been characterized by a series of 
technical defects that have raised safety concerns for some 
time. This prompted an unscheduled ramp inspection on SN 
Brussels aircraft 00-SFM number 463 on February 21, 2006 at 
8 pm.  The inspection identified several shortfalls which 
resulted in the grounding of the aircraft the same day. 
 
¶3. (U) RCAA cited the following reasons for the grounding of 
the flight: (1) lack of life span tags, which indicate 
expiration dates, on both the captain and the observer seat 
belts; (2) hydraulic leak traces on the left inner slats, 
indicating a potential control mechanism failure; (3) lack 
of compliance with Airworthiness Directives (ADs). 
(According to the RCAA, the last updates in the AD log were 
made in August 2005); and (4) fuel leakage on the left 
engine. 
 
¶4. (SBU) SN Brussels flight 463, originally scheduled to 
depart February 21, was authorized to leave Kigali airport 
on Friday, February 24.  While no further mechanical work 
was done on the plane since the February 21 RCAA inspection, 
SN Brussels clarified issues of technical requirements, such 
as the seat belt expiration dates, to the satisfaction of 
RCAA inspectors.  Mbaraga told EconOff that while the 
technical shortcomings of the detained SN Brussels aircraft 
were nominally addressed, the only reason the flight was 
authorized to depart was because of political pressure from 
Belgium, including three separate calls from Belgian Prime 
Minster Guy Verhofstadt and Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht 
to Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Charles Murigande. 
 
Links to Silverback Cargo Freighters (SCF) 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) An aircraft, 9XR-SC, belonging to a private Rwandan 
company, Silverback Cargo Freighters (SCF), has been 
grounded at Zaventem Airport in Belgium since August 19, 
¶2005.  The Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) asserted 
that the aircraft was deficient in several technical areas. 
Officials at SCF said they believe they have addressed each 
of the shortcomings, yet they have not been authorized even 
a ferry permit to transit to a maintenance facility.  In 
fact, in a February 24 letter to the European Commission, 
Innocent Mupenzi, Director General of SCF, complained that 
each time SCF addressed a list of concerns, it was given 
another set of reasons for the aircraft's detention in 
Belgium.  In addition to lost revenue, Silverback is 
accruing parking charges of 950 Euros per day at the Belgian 
airport. 
 
¶6. (U) In December 2005, the European Union unanimously 
agreed to create a blacklist of airlines that would not be 
allowed to operate within the European Union.  Belgium 
proposed that Silverback Cargo Freighters be included on 
that list, which would effectively ban their operations in 
Europe.  The European Union has invited each of the airlines 
(including SCF) on the proposed non-public blacklist, to 
present their case for exclusion from the list.  The 
European Commission delivered the announcement and 
invitation to Silverback Cargo Freighters on Tuesday, 
 
February 21, the same day the RCAA grounded the SN Brussels 
flight. 
 
¶7. (SBU) According to Silverback representatives, their 
aircrafts have been flying to the United Kingdom, Holland, 
and Dubai with no incident and are insured by Lloyds of 
London, a reputable insurance company known for its 
stringent security and safety requirements.  In fact, all 
SCF flights to Brussels, from its initial flight on January 
26, 2005, to its most recent flight on August 19, 2005, were 
incident-free.  Mupenzi added that SCF was only given rights 
to operate in Belgium after the Belgian Embassy in Kigali 
intervened on its behalf. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Mbaraga denied that the SN Brussels flight 463 
grounding was a retaliatory act, and maintained that it was 
a case of serious maintenance irregularities on the part of 
SN Brussels.  In fact, Mbaraga complained that the SN 
Brussels management had not acted on prior RCAA warnings. 
 
Souring of Belgian-Rwandan relations 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) SN Brussels Country Manager, Serge DeWachter, told 
EconOff that he was called into the Rwandan Immigration 
Office on Wednesday, February 22, the day after flight 463 
was grounded, and was warned about the potential revocation 
of his Rwandan visa. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The February 28 issue of The New Times accused SN 
Brussels of racism in its treatment of affected passengers. 
The article, and subsequent radio and television broadcasts, 
criticized the airline for offering transit facilitation 
services to white passengers continuing to Rwanda, while 
Rwandan and Burundi passengers were stranded in Jamo 
Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi until Sunday. 
These allegations were reiterated by both the Rwandan 
Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Foreign 
Affairs.  SN Brussels denied the allegations, saying that 
all passengers arranged their own onward travel, but 
acknowledged that it could have done more to assist all 
passengers.  Embassy received no reports to substantiate 
these allegations, and the Belgian Embassy, which spoke with 
some of the Rwandan and Burundi passengers, found no 
evidence of racism or differential treatment. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Three high-level executives from SN Brussels 
arrived on March 1 to meet with Minister of Infrastructure 
and Transportation, Evariste Bizimana, and RCAA Director 
Mbaraga.  The discussions lasted two days, resulting in 
verbal assurances from the Belgians to facilitate resolution 
of the Silverback affair and to resume SN Brussels 
operations in Rwanda.  The SN Brussels executives returned 
to Belgium on March 2 with the understanding that full and 
normal operations had resumed, and that the scheduled 
Saturday flight would arrive in Kigali on March 4.  However, 
Minister Bizimana, on March 3, presented SN Brussels Country 
Manager DeWachter written minutes of their meeting to sign 
which were in direct contradiction to the minutes taken by 
SN Brussels officials.  The Rwandan-drafted minutes included 
SN Brussels accepting the safety and security shortcomings 
of flight 463 and an apology for the discriminatory 
treatment of the African passengers.  SN Brussels 
representatives refused to sign those minutes, and both 
sides agreed to an indefinite suspension of operations in 
Rwanda. 
 
¶12. (U) On February 24, Prime Minister Verhofstadt and 
Foreign Minister De Gucht issued an official press release, 
warning that this controversy will have a "noxious effect on 
cooperation between the two countries" and that they would 
inform international donors and partners of the problems 
they are facing. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Comment:  The loss of SN Brussels' twice-a-week 
service to Kigali is significant both administratively and 
diplomatically.  Almost all Embassy staff and visitors 
travel on this direct route from Europe, which is also a 
code-share with American Airlines.  Last week, a Public 
Affairs-sponsored training program was cancelled, as the 
trainers were stuck in Belgium and were not able to complete 
their travel to Rwanda.  Moreover, the Mission's 
unclassified pouch is delivered via SN Brussels.  While SN 
 
SIPDIS 
Brussels is not a national airline, the GOR appears to be 
treating the airline as such.  Prolonged impasse on this 
 
increasingly contentious issue could adversely impact 
Rwandan-Belgian relations, both diplomatically and in terms 
of economic development. 
 
ARIETTI