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Polish President: MH17 crash an ‘unbelievable and shameful act’

PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp 22.07.2014 09:56
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has said that the parties responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over the eastern territories of Ukraine should be held to account.
Czarne skrzynki samolotu MH17 Malaysian AirlinesCzarne skrzynki samolotu MH17 Malaysian AirlinesFoto: PAP/EPA/Robert Ghement

Ukrainian
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Dutch ambassador to Ukraine Kees Klompenhouwer (L) lay flowers in commemoration of the MH17 victims, at the Dutch embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, 21 July 2014. Photo: PAP/EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

The words came as President Komorowski attended the annual ambassadors’ conference in Warsaw, which reviews the state of affairs of Polish foreign policy.

“A spectacle has come about before our very eyes, which must form our opinion on the state of global, regional, European and Polish security,” Komorowski underlined.

“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been confirmed by the simple exchanges of ‘little green men’ with regular Russian soldiers, as well as the annexation of a considerable part of Ukrainian territory and organisation of separatist forces,” President Komorowski stated.

“One incident has touched the whole world, however: the tragedy of the Malaysian plane which was shot down,” Komorowski said of the crash, which last Thursday killed all 298 people on board.

Speaking about flight the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 which was downed – apparently by pro-Russian separatists – Komorowski said that it was an “unbelievable and shameful act which is an act of terror”, whose investigation will last a long time.

“While the political and legal wheels have to be put in motion, […] today it is easy to point out who is responsible for this unsightly drama,” Bronislaw Komorowski said.

US
US President Barack Obama delivers a statement on the situation in Ukraine at The White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 July 2014. Photo: PAP/EPA/SHAWN THEW

Obama hotline

Following Komorowski’s address to Polish diplomats, Monday, he discussed security issues with US president Barack Obama.

They spoke on the need for increased spending on defence in Europe and called for Transatlantic solidarity.

“President Obama and President Komorowski agreed on the importance of raising defence spending among European members of NATO, as well as on the importance of alliance-wide and credible contributions to NATO’s reassurance efforts in Central and Eastern Europe,” the White House released in a statement following the call.

“The two leaders also stressed the need for Transatlantic solidarity in responding to the tragic shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and Russia’s efforts to destabilise Ukraine,” the statement continues.

Malaysian
Malaysian Airlines MH17 black boxes are handed over to Malaysian investigators in Donetsk, 22.07.2014 Photo: PAP/EPA/Robert Ghement

Black boxes handed over to Malaysian investigators

Meanwhile, in Donetsk pro-Russian separatists have handed over the black boxes of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777.

The rebels have also called for a ceasefire in a 10 kilometre radius around the location of the plane’s wreckage to allow investigators access to the scene of the crash.

The handover took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the headquarters of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic”, after its “prime minister” Alexander Borodai held talks with Malaysian PM Najib Razak.

“These are the black boxes,” Borodai said while placing the two luminous orange boxes on a table in a room packed with representatives of the press. “We have decided to hand them over to Malaysian experts,” he added.

The handover came hours after the UN Security Council voted unanimously to demand immediate international access to the crash site, the BBC reports.

EU foreign ministers are also to consider slapping more sanctions against Russia on Tuesday at an emergency summit in Brussels. (jb)

Source: IAR/PAP/BBC/Reuters

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