SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Ukraine says Iran to hand over downed jet's black boxes
Kiev, Jan 17 (AFP) Jan 17, 2020
Ukraine said Friday Iran was ready to hand over the black box flight recorders of the Ukrainian passenger plane downed by an Iranian missile.

The Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737, crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran last Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board, mostly Iranian and Canadian citizens.

Ukraine's foreign minister said Iran would grant a team of investigators from Iran and Canada as the countries that have lost the most nationals access to the recorders.

"After that, the Iranian side is ready to separately transfer the black boxes to Ukraine," Vadym Prystaiko told lawmakers during a parliamentary session.

"This is consistent with international standards, although we still demand that they be given to us immediately to ensure the independence and objectivity of the investigation," Prystaiko said.

After initial denials, the Islamic republic admitted it has shot down the plane "unintentionally" while on high alert after firing missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani by a US strike.

Prystaiko told CNN on Wednesday that Kiev has "good cooperation" with Tehran on the crash probe, but lacked "access to the information stored in the black boxes."

"We just want to know that nobody will be tampering with the recordings themselves," he said.

Prystaiko said an Iranian official will visit Kiev next week "to apologise officially and provide explanations."

On Thursday, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and Britain issued a five-point plan for cooperation with Iran during the investigation, calling for "full and unhindered access" for foreign officials.

ant-dg/ma/ach


BOEING


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Intelligent Control System Enhances Space Reactor Performance under Uncertainty
SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit
Northrop Grumman Commits $50 Million to Firefly Aerospace to Drive Eclipse Medium Launch Vehicle

24/7 Energy News Coverage
France's upper house debates fast-fashion bill
Iran says no nuclear deal if deprived of 'peaceful activities'
In Canada lake, robot learns to mine without disrupting marine life

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Trump says Iran deal would not allow 'any' uranium enrichment
Danish PM warns NATO defence spending target 'too late'
UK to build attack subs as part of major defence review

24/7 News Coverage
Spain records highest May temps on record; UK registers warmest spring on record
Ancient Scottish Fossils Push Back Tetrapod Timeline
Rock record illuminates oxygen history



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.