French experts to help Ukraine with probing crash

Experts from Ukraine and France will cooperate in the investigation of the Ukraine plane crash in Iran and jointly decode the "black box" of the plane, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, and the latter agreed to send French specialists to help decode the black box.

Macron on Sunday said he had promised to contribute to a comprehensive investigation of the crash and bring to justice those responsible for this crime.

At first, Iranian civil aviation officials denied the "missile strikes", but Iran's military admitted on Saturday that it shot down the Ukrainian airliner by mistake, claiming that the plane made a sharp turn that brought it near a sensitive military base.

Macron said that France had already launched a formal procedure to start an investigation at the International Civil Aviation Organization.

"Grateful to Emmanuel Macron for his compassion and willingness to assist in a comprehensive and fair investigation into the crash in Iran. Rapid truth-finding was possible thanks to the work of the Ukrainian expert group in Teheran and the assistance of international partners," Zelensky said on his Twitter account.

The presidents did not reveal when and how the experts from the two countries will cooperate, but Zelensky's office said in a statement that Macron had agreed to visit Kiev soon.

The plane belonging to the Ukraine International Airlines, or UIA, crashed last Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Teheran airport, killing all 176 on board.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said his government will pay the equivalent of $8,363 to the families of victims, and will monitor the insurance payouts.

Separately, Interfax reported on Sunday that besides compensation to the victims, Ukraine will also provide comprehensive support and assistance to the relatives of the victims, including legal and financial help.

In addition, UIA will pay compensation to the families of the crew members, in keeping with a collective agreement.

China on Monday expressed its condolences to the families of the victims of the crash.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China also noted that all the parties involved in the incident have kept their channels of communication open.

"We hope the matter can be resolved properly and not further complicate the regional situation," Geng said.

In a related development, Zelensky said Ukraine wanted its international partners, as well as the global community, "to be one and persevere for a full and final investigation into all aspects of the crash".

And the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said earlier that Ukraine had known that the plane was hit by missiles even before Iran admitted it, and the evidence was the reason that Iran was forced to change its earlier position.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn