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077247
MDTTAN 8871
INCLUDING THAT OF A DOLL AND MATERIAL FRAGMENTS). ALLEGATIONS OF COVERT BURNING OR BURIAL OF BODIES RUMOURS' AND 'GIBBERISH'.
STEPANOV CALLED 'DISGRACEFUL
9. STEPANOV SAID THAT THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION WAS PREPARED TO ERECT A MEMORIAL 'AS A MORAL CONSOLATION'. FINANCE WAS PROVING DIFFICULT, AS WERE THE ATTITUDES OF JAPANESE AND KOREANS. STEPANOV CONFIRMED THAT THE FAMILIES HAD MET AS MANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS CONCERNED AS POSSIBLE. THE PILOT WHO HAD SHOT DOWN THE PLANE HAD REFUSED TO ATTEND, A DECISION WITH WHICH STEPANOV SYMPATHISED.
譬
10.. VLADIMIR ILYICH CHERVISHVILI, STEPANOV'S COLLEAGUE, ADDED THAT MEETINGS BETWEEN OFFICIALS HAD PRODUCED AN AGREEMENT TO CONTINUE WORK. HE CONFIRMED THAT A REQUEST FOR A SEARCH HAD BEEN RECEIVED. BUT HE SAID THAT OFFICIALLY, AS THE PLANE WAS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, IT WAS KAL'S PROPERTY. CHERVISHVILI SAID THAT WHILE RUSSIA WAS THE SUCCESSOR TO THE USSR, IT ACCEPTED NO LEGAL OR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR KAL007. THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT WAS PREPARED TO OFFER MORAL COMPENSATION (MONUMENTS MEMORIALS), BUT ALL SIDES
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WOULD RETURN TO THE ISSUE AFTER THE ICAO REPORT.
COMMENT 11.
THE
DESPITE ICAO'S HOPE THAT THEIR REPORT WILL BE ENTIRELY TECHNICAL, AND WILL NOT ATTRIBUTE BLAME, IT IS CLEAR THAT, ON PUBLICATION ALL SIDES WILL EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE VERY CLOSELY. POSITION OF THE PARTIES HAS NOT CHANGED. ONE RUMOUR THE AMERICANS HAVE PICKED UP IS THAT BECAUSE KAL PILOTS WERE UNDER INSTRUCTIONS TO ECONOMISE ON FUEL AND SHORTEN THE ROUTE CONE MENTIONED WAS A SEOUL-PARIS FLIGHT) KAL FLIGHTS HAD TRANSGRESSED SOVIET AIRSPACE ON AT LEAST TWO OCCASIONS BEFORE THIS PARTICULAR KALO07 FLIGHT WAS. SHOT DOWN. IF THE FLIGHT RECORDERS SHOW THAT THE IN BOARD NAVIGATIONAL COMPUTER DID HAVE A DIFFERENT ROUTE PROGRAMMED, THERE WILL, NO DOUBT, BE HEATED DEBATE ABOUT WHY.
SIGNED W L EGERTON
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