31/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The US Deputy Secretary of State for Transport, John Byerly, has insisted on the fact that the preliminary conclusion of the second stage of the “open sky” agreement liberalising air traffic between the EU and the US had helped to avoid application of the suspension clause. As part of the first stage of the agreement, it authorises parties to suspend provisions already negotiated if they do not manage to agree on the second phase of the agreement before November 2010. Quoted by the Washington Times, Mr Byerly said, “the suspension of rights of carriers would have wreaked havoc, because the EU would have been able to pick and choose which airlines and routes to target". Mr Byerly also said that it was unlikely that the US will be amending its legislation on airline control legislation any time soon, "U.S. laws are what they are, and there is no desire in Congress to change them or in the [Obama] administration to propose changes". (A.By)