[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 12, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE SERVICE OF DR. ASSAD KOTAITE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN L. MICA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 2006

  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, this August, The International Civil Aviation 
Organization will bid farewell to Dr. Assad Kotaite, who has served as 
its Council President for past 30 years.
  The International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, is the United 
Nations agency responsible for setting the international standards of 
safety, efficiency and security for civil aviation. Created in 1944 by 
52 nations, its member States now total 189, all rallying behind one 
mission--ensuring the highest possible degree of safety and efficiency.
  For the last three decades, one man has lead ICAO to unprecedented 
breakthroughs in aviation safety, Dr. Assad Kotaite. After 53 years of 
service to aviation, he is retiring from ICAO.
  Dr. Kotaite and his wife, Monique, are in Washington, DC, this week. 
He is being honored by the community that has benefited from his 
expertise--the Departments of State and Transportation, the Federal 
Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, as 
well as the aviation industry.
  Dr. Kotaite has earned immeasurable respect during his years at 
ICAO--first as Lebanon's representative on the Legal Committee, then as 
Secretary General, and for the last 30 years, President of the ICAO 
Council.
  During this time, he has successfully dealt with a variety of 
challenges, both political and technical.
  Time after time, he brought people together and negotiated a 
consensus on the most difficult questions debated in the ICAO Council.
  His work can be found on some of ICAO's most pressing issues, 
including a multilateral agreement that yielded the North Pacific route 
system, the agreement on FIR boundaries in the Black Sea area, 
resolution of problems associated with the Dakar oceanic FIR and a 
compromise on transit problems between Cuba and the United States.
  Dr. Kotaite was once asked what it was like to bring the divide 
between groups that didn't see eye to eye. He said:

       Indeed, over the years, I have learned that the real secret 
     in any negotiation is to first identify an area of common 
     ground, no matter how small, and then to build upon it. It 
     may not be the ideal solution, but at least it is workable 
     and acceptable to all. Moreover, in international affairs, I 
     firmly believe that one should avoid confrontation at all 
     costs. It is essential that one listens to all parties and 
     takes into consideration their point of view.
  Perhaps his greatest legacy will be safety. Dr. Kotaite presided over 
the birth of the ICAO safety oversight program. Not content there, he 
then supported and encouraged the expansion of the Universal Safety 
Oversight Audit Programme to include all safety related annex 
provisions. And finally, at a recent meeting of the Directors General 
of Civil Aviation held in March of 2006, he worked behind the scenes to 
gain acceptance of the public availability of the findings of the 
safety audit--all within a ten year period--equivalent to the speed of 
light in international relations.
  The traveling public owes a great debt of gratitude to this 
international civil servant for his dedication to aviation. I am 
pleased to recognize Dr. Kotaite for his accomplishments and 
contribution to aviation and I congratulate him on his distinguished 
career.

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