Yelchenko sees no need to call UN Security Council meeting over UIA plane crash

15.01.2020 11:21

Ukrinform

It is inappropriate to convene an extraordinary UN Security Council meeting on a Ukrainian plane shown down in Iran as Tehran has already admitted its guilt, but instead, it is necessary to focus on an international investigation and prosecution.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Volodymyr Yelchenko said this at a briefing in Washington on Tuesday, January 14, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"To date, no," Yelchenko said when asked if he saw a need to call a UN Security Council meeting on the issue of a Ukraine International Airlines plane crash in Iran.

"If Iran did not admit its guilt, we might have to turn to the UN Security Council. But since the situation is developing very dynamically, I just don't see which goal is set by those who think it's necessary to convene the UN Security Council," said Yelchenko, who previously held the post of Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN.

In this regard, he recalled that on January 9, Ukraine used the opportunity to bring to the Security Council the issue of the Boeing shot down over Tehran. At that time, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya not only drew attention to the incident, but also read out during a public debate of the UN Security Council a special statement on behalf of four countries - Canada, Germany, Sweden and Ukraine - whose citizens were killed in the plane crash.

Yelchenko also noted that since Iran has fully acknowledged its involvement in the tragedy, it must go this way through, bringing the perpetrators to justice and paying all compensations. In addition, the investigation has to find out other components, including a "Russian trace" in the form of the Russian-made Tor missile system sold to Iran.

"We are talking about two parts of responsibility, two components. The first is the responsibility of those who gave the order and fired a rocket, and possibly also those who supplied those missiles. The second part is the responsibility of Iran as a state, international and legal responsibility," he said.

A Ukraine International Airlines plane (flight PS752), en route from Tehran to Kyiv, crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport early on January 8. There were 176 people on board the aircraft. All of them died. The crash killed 11 Ukrainians (two passengers and all nine crew), as well as Iranians, Canadians, Swedes, Afghans, Germans, and Britons.

The Iranian side initially claimed that the plane had crashed due to technical problems.

However, Iran stated on January 11 that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by Iran's armed forces accidentally.