Secretary-General, Strongly Condemning Downing of Malaysia Airlines in Ukraine,

 

Says Incident Must Prompt ‘Serious and Sustained’ Effort to End Fighting

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft in eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing nearly 300 people, including 80 children.  This horrifying incident must at the very least prompt a serious and sustained effort to end the fighting in Ukraine.

The Secretary-General calls for a full and transparent international investigation into the incident and offers the full cooperation of the United Nations in such an inquiry.  There must be accountability for this tragedy:  anyone found to be responsible must be brought to justice.  The United Nations is in touch with the International Civil Aviation Organization, which has offered Ukraine its investigative capacity in order to put together an international team.  The Secretary-General echoes calls for all parties to grant immediate and unfettered access by investigators to the crash site.

The Secretary-General conveys his deepest condolences to the families of all victims and to the Governments and peoples of their countries of origin.

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For information media • not an official record