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NATO Secretary General calls for refraining from speculations over MH17 tragedy

It is extremely important to refrain from any speculations on the issue until the investigators round up their activity, Jens Stoltenberg says
Jens Stoltenberg EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
Jens Stoltenberg
© EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

BERLIN, January 14. /TASS/. NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday he did not find it possible or suitable to mull over who was responsible for the July 17 crash of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine while official investigation of the tragic accident was still in progress.

An independent investigation organized by the Dutch government was in progress and it was extremely important to refrain from any speculations on the issue until the investigators rounded up their activity.

He said he hoped answers to questions would appear then.

Malaysian Boeing crash in Ukraine

The Boeing 777 jet of Malaysia Airlines was performing flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17 with 298 passengers and crew aboard when it crashed for the yet unclear reasons over the war-torn Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities, their Western political associates and media rushed to apportion all blame for the accident to self-defense forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, alleging that the "rebels" had ostensibly used the BUK air defense missile system.

Spokespeople for the DPR, as well as Russian officials and military experts have categorically refuted all the allegations regarding the utilization of the BUK or a possible involvement of Russian military advisers in it.

The Dutch Safety Council published a report on provisional conclusions of the investigative commission, which said the airliner had disintegrated in midair after being hit by a multitude of objects at high velocity.

The final report on the accident is to be published within twelve months following the accident.