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012106 MDTTAN 9841
DID NOT KNOW KALO07 WAS A CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT. THE US HAD SENT THEIR RS-135 ON A VERY DANGEROUS MISSION. THE RESULT WAS AN ACCIDENT, NOT A CONSPIRACY. THE RUSSIANS HAD RATIFIED AN AMENDMENT TO THE ICAO CHARTER WHICH BANNED THE USE OF FORCE AGAINST CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT. FILATOV SAID THAT THE COMMISSION WAS NOT AUTHORISED TO CONSIDER COMPENSATION.
3.
ON 27 AUGUST ARIAS (POLITICAL SECTION, US EMBASSY) TOLD ME THAT DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER MAMEDOV HAD TOLD THE US AMBASSADOR THAT THE RUSSIANS WOULD NOT CONSIDER COMPENSATION FOR THE KAL007 SHOOT-DOWN. MEANWHILE THE US FAMILIES GROUP HAS BEEN ASKED BY THE US TO PRODUCE A COMPENSATION FIGURE. THE US WOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS THE RUSSIANS 'FOR AS LONG AS IT TOOK': THEY WERE LEGALLY OBLIGED TO PURSUE THE MATTER AND WOULD REGARD AN INVITATION TO TALK ABOUT TALKS AS PROGRESS. THERE HAD BEEN NO SIGN OF RUSSIAN WILLINGNESS IN THE THREE US APPROACHES TO THE MFA SINCE PUBLICATION OF THE ICAO REPORT.
4.
ARIAS SAID THAT THE US GOVERNMENT WERE NOT KEEN TO MAKE JOINT DEMARCHES ON THE SUBJECT. HE DID AGREE THAT IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR THERE TO BE INFORMAL CO-ORDINATION OF APPROACHES UP TO A CERTAIN POINT. BUT THE US HAD LOST OVER SIXTY PEOPLE: THEIR COMPENSATION DEMAND WOULD BE CORRESPONDINGLY HIGH. IN THE PAST THE RUSSIANS HAD PLEADED POVERTY. WITH THE ICAO REPORT THE RUSSIANS WERE TRYING TO PIN THE BLAME ON THE KOREANS, JAPANESE AND AMERICANS ALBEIT WITH ONLY MINIMAL CREDIBILITY.
5. ARIAS SAID THAT UNDER INTERNATIONAL AVIATION CONVENTIONS
AIRLINES WERE OBLIGED TO PAY OUT COMPENSATION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. BUT THE US FAMILIES GROUP HAD REFUSED TO ACCEPT SUCH COMPENSATION, BELIEVING THAT THE SOVIET AUTHORITIES HAD AN OBLIGATION. NONE WOULD ATTEND THE CEREMONY TO UNVEIL A MONUMENT ON SAKHALIN.
6.
ON 27 AUGUST KAWABATA (JAPANESE EMBASSY) TOLD ME THAT THE
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY HAD MADE A DEMARCHE TO THE THEN SOVIET AUTHORITIES SOON AFTER THE CRASH, DEMANDING THAT THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT ADMIT RESPONSIBILITY, APOLOGISE AND PAY COMPENSATION. NOTHING WAS HEARD. IN JANUARY 1986 THE JAPANESE SUBMITTED A CLAIM
FOR COMPENSATION AT MINSTERIAL LEVEL FOR YEN3.4 BILLION. THE
JAPANESE SUBSEQUENTLY POINTED OUT TO THE RUSSIANS THAT THEIR CLAIM
WAS STILL VALID. KAWABATA SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER TOKYO WOULD INCREASE THE CLAIM. BUT HE DID NOT EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY THAT
THE JAPANESE FAMILIES ASSOCIATION MIGHT CLAIM EXTRA FOR PERSONAL
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