Malaysian airlines flight MH17 crash: ALDE calls for full and transparent investigation - Main contents
The tragic crash of a Malaysian airlines passenger jet today over the disputed eastern territory of Ukraine whilst on a routine flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur raises many questions and suspicions that it was a despicable act of terrorism on the part of pro-Russian rebels with the aid of Russian supplied anti-aircraft weapons.
Hans van Baalen (VVD, Netherlands), ALDE spokesman on Ukraine deplored the suspected act of terrorism:
"Our immediate thoughts and sympathies must go to the bereaved relatives of the passengers killed in this terrible and tragic incident. Given the location and the kind of weapons suspected of being in the possession of separatist rebels in Eastern Ukraine, we cannot rule out that this was a despicable and callous act of terrorism. It is vital that there is an internationally supervised investigation into the accident immediately before the wreckage is tampered with and Russia must cooperate fully with it."
Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE group leader, also underlined the importance of clarifying the circumstances of the crash as soon as possible:
"My sincerest condolences and thoughts are with the families and relatives of the deceased tonight. It is of the utmost importance to confirm the circumstances of this tragedy. If it is confirmed that Russian backed separatists are responsible, an emergency summit of EU leaders and foreign ministers must be convened to discuss the new and deadly escalation of the security situation affecting also international civil aviation."