The 18th meeting of the Advisory Committee of the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO) was held last 26-27 February in London.
The meeting focused almost entirely on financial issues, particularly approval of the 2007 budget. As at its last meeting, the budget (plans call for a more than 30 percent increase over the previous year) was subject to lengthy discussion in the Committee. Even though most of the countries attending favoured its approval, some participants continued to ask for more transparency and to question some of the figures presented, reiterating the importance of more consistent negotiation with Inmarsat, which currently provides all of IMSO's financing.
Another voiced concern was that IMSO would find it hard to finance its activity and conceivably need to seek arbitration to resolve the conflict with Inmarsat should the latter be unwilling to support the budget. Under heavy pressure from the President and Secretariat, the budget was nevertheless approved, on the condition that the sums not spent under 'personnel costs' should not be transferred to other items.
The Advisory Committee also considered the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system for vessels, namely issues associated with the working plan, budget and recruitment of the personnel needed to assure the new LRIT-related duties deriving from amendments adopted at the last IMSO Assembly (September 2006).
The next Advisory Committee meeting has not been scheduled yet, though it is expected to take place after April 2007.
