Posted on 07/21/2014 12:36:37 PM PDT by Uncle Chip
A train carrying the remains of most of the almost 300 victims of the Malaysia Airlines plane downed over Ukraine left the site on Monday, after the Malaysian Prime Minister reached a deal with the leader of pro-Russian separatists controlling the area.
The aircraft's black boxes, which could hold information about the crash in rebel-held eastern Ukraine but will not pinpoint who did it, would be given to the Malaysian authorities, Prime Minister Najib Razak said, indicating he had bypassed Kiev, which has lost control of much of the east.
The expected handover of the bodies and the black boxes, and reports by international investigators of improved access to the wreckage of the airliner four days after it was shot down, takes place against calls for broader sanctions against Russia for its support for the rebellion, though Western leaders are struggling to agree a united response.
The Malaysian leader said he had reached an agreement with the separatists for recovered bodies to be handed over to the authorities in the Netherlands, where the largest number of victims came from.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a news conference that a train carrying around 200 body bags was on its way to rebel-held Donetsk and then to Kharkiv, which is in Ukrainian government hands, from where the bodies would be taken back to the Netherlands to be identified.
Shaken by the deaths of 298 people from across the globe, Western governments have threatened Russia with stiffer penalties for what they say is its backing of pro-Russian militia who, their evidence suggests, shot the plane down.
But, with Russia challenging them to produce proof, some of those taking a firmer line are saying the acid test will be if the separatists improve access to the site and Russia stops supporting them....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Separatists Have ‘Full Control’ Over MH 17 Crash Site, Says Malaysian Minister
The Malaysian government expressed concern today that the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 is “now under the full control of separatist groups.”
A Malaysian team of 133 officials and experts arrived in Kiev on Saturday morning to investigate the MH 17 crash site but they have been unable to get to the area to recover victims’ remains and retrieve the aircraft’s black boxes, the Malaysian government said in a statement released today.
According to the statement, armed rebels have prevented the Malaysian recovery and investigation team from getting to the wreckage of MH 17.
The Ukrainian government says it is unable to guarantee the safety of international investigators in and around the site.
“Malaysia is very concerned that the sanctity of the crash site has been severely compromised,” the statement read.
This is how real American Presidents respond:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VA4W1wDMAk
Actual Presidential Address.
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