Obama Hints pro-Moscow Rebels behind Malaysian Jet Downing as U.N. Security Council Urges 'Full' Probe
U.S. President Barack Obama hinted Friday that a Malaysian passenger plane flying over eastern Ukraine was shot down by pro-Moscow separatists, as the U.N. Security Council demanded a full, independent and international probe into the deadly incident.
At a press conference, Obama said a missile fired from rebel-held territory in Ukraine downed the Malaysian jet as he pressed for an international investigation.
He added that at least one U.S. citizen was among the 298 dead. The State Department identified the victim as Quinn Lucas Schansman, who also held Dutch nationality.
"Their deaths are an outrage of unspeakable proportions," Obama told reporters.
"Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine," Obama said.
Obama, while saying he was waiting for the full picture, highlighted that the pro-Russian rebels have in the past downed Ukrainian military aircraft.
The U.S. president, who earlier this week ramped up sanctions on Russia over the conflict, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "take the path that would result in peace in Ukraine."
"I think it's important for us to recognize that this outrageous event underscored that it is time for peace and security to be restored in Ukraine," Obama said.
"Now is, I think, a somber, appropriate time for all of us to step back and take a hard look at what has happened. Violence and conflict inevitably lead to unforeseen consequences," he added.
Earlier on Friday, the members of the U.N. Security Council unanimously called for a "full, thorough and independent international investigation into the (plane) incident in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines and for appropriate accountability."
Also on Friday, Ukraine's prime minister said that pro-Russian separatist rebels, which Kiev believes shot down the Malaysian airliner, should face an international tribunal in The Hague.
"Yesterday's terrible tragedy has altered our lives. The Russians went too far," Interfax-Ukraine quoted Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk as saying.
"This is an international crime for which they should face an international tribunal in The Hague."
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an urgent settlement of the Ukraine crisis as he expressed condolences to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte over the Malaysian jet crash.
"The head of Russia stressed that the tragedy once again highlighted the need for an urgent peaceful settlement of the most acute crisis in Ukraine and noted there is a need for a thorough and objective investigation of the air crash," the Kremlin said in a statement after Putin spoke with Rutte by phone.
Of the 298 crash victims, 154 were from The Netherlands.
Later on Friday, Putin said he was in touch with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko and expressed hope that a solution to the crisis could soon be found.
"We are in contact with Ukrainian President Pyotr Alekseyevich Poroshenko," Putin said at a meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, using the Russian version of the Ukrainian leader's name.
"And I hope that he will manage to offer all the people of the whole of entire Ukraine, all people wherever they live, a way for events to develop that would lead to final, complete and long-term peace on this land," Putin said, Russian news agencies reported.
Meanwhile, an AFP crew saw around 30 observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) granted partial access by rebels to the disaster site.
The OSCE team -- which was already on the ground monitoring the fighting in Ukraine -- said they were not there to investigate the causes of the crash but to make sure the perimeters of the site were secured and oversee the handling of the victims' remains.
Ukraine released recordings of what they said was an intercepted call between an insurgent commander and a Russian intelligence officer as they realized they had shot down a passenger liner.
However the rebels accused the Ukrainian military of shooting down the plane and Russia's defense ministry said Friday it had data indicating that a Ukrainian missile system was operating in the area.
almost 11 years
lol just lol, pathetic!
almost 11 years
Where is flamethrower's comment "today in the west we don't need proof, we accuse based on belief...gather the evidence, make your case..."
Well here's what we do know: rebels/Russians whoever they are, have been shooting down Ukrainian planes recently. To think this plane mysteriously malfunctioned and crashed is naive if not delusional. This plane was shot down, and Ukraine's military is not capable of doing that. It is the Russians who possess the missiles that can shoot down a plane cruising at 35,000 ft. Use your head
almost 11 years
So according to FT M14er accuse based on media articles, unlike rational thinking M8ters who prefer to accuse and convict based on their freshly Photoshopped "irrefutable evidence".
almost 11 years
i recall you have accused hariri of backing fatah el islam without any proof.
almost 11 years
Sometimes we never will find the real "evidence" because the accused will refuse to recognise it e.g Hezbollah with the STL. You just live in your own little world where the West is behind all evil, and the "resistance" is here to rescue us from Uncle Sam and Zionism. One day you'll figure out which side is truly evil.
almost 11 years
One more thing: my friend just pointed out it could have been a Ukrainian fighter jet. Technically that's possible, but logically impossible. Where is the motive, especially when it's Ukrainian jets being shot down lately? A fighter jet in the sky would be able to identify a passenger plane, unlike stupid Russian separatists holed up in the ghettos of eastern Ukraine. And to say "Ukraine would knowingly shoot down a commercial aircraft" is nonsense.
almost 11 years
They screwed up. That happens. One of the very predictable things about warfare is that unpredictable and horrible things happen.
almost 11 years
Like you said, "any militia with SAM missiles can do it." What's the point in your argument?
almost 11 years
Russian separatists have the capabilities to shoot down planes, but they don't have high-tech air-force radars. Whatever they see flying over "their skies" they just shoot down immediately. They've already taken responsibility for shooting down other planes. Did you ever think that maybe they shot this down by mistake and don't want to admit how stupid they are?
almost 11 years
In other words, the plane just showed up as a red blip on their 1940s radar and thought and was a hostile. Normal people don't just shoot down a plane for the fun of it. To suggest Ukraine shot it down is saying they knowingly shot down a passenger plane to frame the separatists. I don't believe in killing innocent civilians to frame others. The separatists shot it down and you know that
almost 11 years
And about this AIDS convention: if a cure was found, it wouldn't be kept a secret like that. There would have been some report even before the conference. It's just a convention in their continued mission to fight AIDS
almost 11 years
Ukraine is a poor-equipped military, we don't know what kind of missiles they have. The militias can have things that Ukraine doesn't, especially when Russia is helping them. And even if Ukraine had these missiles, what are the means to use them? Why would Ukraine shoot down a plane headed to an AIDS convention?
almost 11 years
Well there you go, you finally pointed the finger at someone other than Ukraine. I'll accept that view. I don't think we'll ever find out who really did it. There's a saying "it isn't what it is, it's what it looks like." And here's what it looks like. A passenger plane was flying over an area where people are fighting, and this plane was shot down. So someone in that area had to shoot it down. To say an external power was behind it isn't that bad, but this external power convinced either Russia or Ukraine to shoot it down, simply because it was shot down over Ukraine and not in China
almost 11 years
Well the fact is that somebody shot down this plane over eastern Ukraine. From a bird's eye it looks like separatists shot it down, whether Russia consented it or not. Because let's not forget, other planes have been shot down, and Ukrainian military personnel have been killed. We don't know how much control Russia has over these rebels, but they are funding them that's for sure. Maybe it wasn't Russia, but it isn't outrageous to say rebels shot it down
remember Palestinians hamas said " we don't deny and we don't confirm the killing"!! instead of saying we did not do it and we are against it exactly like their enemy does...now all gaza is suffering the worst ever..