Friday, July 18, 2014

Russia Urges to Set Up ICAO-led International Commission to Investigate MH17 Crash
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin.

UNITED NATIONS, July 18. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia favors impartial and open investigation into the Boeing 777 air crash that occurred in the territory of Ukraine last Thursday and deems it necessary to set up an international commission under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday.

Churkin expressed bewilderment at the actions of Ukrainian air traffic controllers who had sent a passenger plane into an area of military hostilities.

“As we see it, it is necessary to investigate not only the crash itself but also how Ukraine’s aviation authorities performed their professional duties,” Churkin said.

As for the developments on the Ukrainian-Russian border, Moscow considers Ukraine’s attacks aggressive acts against Russia’s sovereign territory and its citizens, Vitaly Churkin said.

Artillery and mortar fire “became regular”, Churkin said at a session of the UN Security Council on Friday.

“Some of our nationals were killed and wounded. We consider these provocations as aggressive acts of the Ukrainian side against sovereign Russian territory and Russian Federation citizens,” Churkin said.

“We place responsibility for them on the Kiev authorities and insist that the Ukrainian side must take decisive measures to stop such incidents,” he said.

“Checkpoints and houses of peaceful civilians came under fire. Dead and injured people are reported,” he said.

Ukraine’s authorities are taking no efforts for evacuation of civilians from the area of combat actions, Churkin noted.

He pointed out that “people who are fleeing the war and especially are seeking protection in Russia are the target of Ukrainian military’s deliberate firing.”

Churkin said that Russia had accepted well over 110,000 refugees from Ukraine’s east.

However, according to Churkin, a way out of the crisis in Ukraine is still possible through negotiations but the punitive operation in the country’s east must be stopped as soon as possible.

“The punitive operation in Ukraine’s east has to be terminated immediately,” he said adding that “the negotiations are still possible and eventually the right choice should be made.

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