The New York Times
May 13, 2008
By REUTERS
Filed at 12:01 p.m. ET
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States proposed a deal on Tuesday to sweep away a global "spider's web" of airline ownership rules, taking the EU by surprise as it seeks a transatlantic deal for its airlines to buy their U.S. rivals.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Transportation Affairs John Byerly said Washington had an open mind on Europe's long-standing demand to ease American restrictions on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines.
But Byerly, the chief U.S. negotiator in the "open skies" talks with the EU, said Washington would seek a far wider deal by pledging to forgo access restrictions on airlines from more than 60 nations, based on the nationality of their owners, a deal which could be expanded to other countries in the future.
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