At least one American was among the almost 300 killed, he said, a revelation that raises the stakes in a pivotal incident in deteriorating relations between Russia and the West.
Calling it "an outrage of unspeakable proportions", Obama stopped short of directly blaming Russia for the incident but warned that he was prepared to tighten economic sanctions. He echoed international calls for a rapid and credible investigation and ruling out U.S. military intervention.
But, noting the global impact of the crash, with victims from 11 countries across four continents, he said the stakes were high for Europe, a clear call for it to follow the more robust sanctions on Russia already imposed by Washington.
Russia, whom Obama said was letting the rebels bring in weapons, has expressed anger at implications it was to blame, saying people should not prejudge the outcome of the inquiry................http://www.todayonline.com/world/obama-condemns-russia-after-airliner-downed-ukraine18/7/14
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Related:
Donetsk defence forces take control of army unit equipped with missile defence systems(29/6/14)
Rebel site suggests insurgents shot down Malaysia plane by mistake
Militiamen of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) brought down a military transport Antonov-26 (An-26) plane of the Ukrainian Air Force on the outskirts of the town of Torez, eyewitnesses said....(17/7/14)
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Ukrainian intelligence has published a tape claimed to be a recording between rebels and Russian intelligence in which they realised there had been a catastrophic blunder....
ReplyDeleteRetired major general Bob Latiff, a former US weapons developer for the air force and the CIA and now a professor at Notre Dame University, said he leaned towards a belief that it was a case of mistaken identity on the part of those who pressed the button.
"A radar return from an airplane like this would look very similar to that from a cargo plane, as was initially claimed by the separatists. … All airliners emit identification signals which identify the aircraft and provide other information like altitude and speed. They also operate on known communications frequencies. It doesn't sound like the separatists were using any of this, or tried for that matter."
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Latiff says "My guess is the system's radar saw a return from a big 'cargo' plane flying at 30,000 feet or so and either automatically fired, or some aggressive, itchy operator fired, not wanting to miss an opportunity."
Igor Sutyagin, a Russian military specialist at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said he regarded as genuine the tape recordings as well as postings on social media pointing the finger at Russian separatists or Russia itself.
He said it might prove difficult to get the necessary evidence. "It is very hard. A decision has been made on the Russian side to hide their tracks. It will be hard to find the battery." Satellites might have been able to catch something, but the trail from ...................http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/18/malaysia-airlines-crash-flight-recorder-found-as-anger-at-russia-mounts-live-updates
MH17 plane crash: Ukraine rebels 'limit investigation'...
ReplyDeleteA team of international observers say pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine have limited their access to the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines plane.
An OSCE spokesman said access to the site had been controlled by armed men, with one firing shots into the air.
It is believed flight MH17 crashed after being hit by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area in east Ukraine. ................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28381460
Norbert Röttgen: "Putin hat die Ukraine zu einem Pulverfass gemacht"...
ReplyDeleteDer Vorsitzende des Auswärtigen Ausschusses im Bundestag, Norbert Röttgen, gibt dem Kreml eine Mitschuld am Abschuss des Flugzeugs MH17 über der Ukraine. Der CDU-Mann fordert Wirtschaftssanktionen.
Die Welt: Trägt Putin eine Mitverantwortung für die jüngsten Ereignisse?
Röttgen: Die Sachlage ist nicht hinreichend klar, um den Abschuss verantwortbar zu beurteilen. Man kann aber feststellen, dass Kämpfer und Waffen, auch schweres Gerät, von Russland in die Ukraine gelangen. Putin könnte das unterbinden, tut es aber nicht. Damit trägt er eine erhebliche Mitverantwortung dafür, dass diese Region zu einem Pulverfass geworden ist. Putin muss endlich die Grenze zur Ukraine kontrollieren.....................http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article130328580/Putin-hat-die-Ukraine-zu-einem-Pulverfass-gemacht.html
Obama says Russia failed to stop violence that made Malaysian jet downing possible...
ReplyDelete"This certainly will be a wake-up call for Europe and the world that there are consequences to an escalating conflict in eastern Ukraine; that it is not going to be localized, it is not going to be contained," US President Barack Obama said of the downing of a Malaysian jetliner in a Ukrainian region controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
The president said Russia failed to stop the violence that made it possible to shoot down the plane.
Obama spoke by phone later with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The White House said they discussed Ukraine and the downed jet and the need for an unimpeded international investigation into what happened.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Obama-says-Russia-failed-to-stop-violence-that-made-Malaysian-jet-downing-possible-363423