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More than 17 months after flight PS752 was shot down, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra (Omar Alghabra) publicly condemned Iran for the first time in a speech at the UN Aviation Agency Council meeting on Friday.
This is the strongest language Algabra has spoken in front of the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) Council so far, and it is also part of the symbolic gesture that Canadian victims’ families have long called for.
Algabra said: “I hope to publicly condemn the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s actions that led to the loss of 176 innocent people, as well as its handling of the tragedy and its failure to provide answers afterwards, in the strongest way.” A virtual speech.
The statement was issued before Canada issued its own forensic report, which collated all non-confidential evidence and intelligence related to the plane’s crash.
Since the tragedy first occurred, the families have called on the 36-member ICAO Council to unanimously pass a resolution condemning the downing of the Ukrainian International Airlines flight.
The council passed a resolution In 2014, in the months after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed over eastern Ukraine, out of solidarity with the families of the victims.
Hamed Esmaeilion, a spokesperson for the association representing the families of the victims in Canada, said that after the Canadian forensic report is released, the ICAO Council needs to do the same.
“Silence is complacency,” Esmaeilion said on Twitter on Friday.
Esmaeilion testified before a parliamentary committee earlier this month, accusing the country that composes the committee of being “very passive.”
Former Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne once said He doesn’t believe that human error is the culpritHowever, to date, Canada has not released any evidence or information that Iran deliberately shot down flight PS752.
The Prime Minister’s PS752 former adviser Ralph Goodale once said Obviously, incompetence played a role.
Algabra said that he personally met with many of the families of the victims and hoped that the ICAO Council would also listen to their opinions.
“Since January 8, 2020, they have had to look at the empty chairs on the dining table every day and pass through the bedrooms that are no longer in use,” Algabra said in his speech. “They expect us to provide them with answers and make sure that no other family will have to do this in the future.”
The minister stated that Iran has the responsibility to ensure the safety of its airspace, but failed to prevent the crash.
“Despite the lessons learned and recommendations from the recent MH17 tragedy, Iran failed to recognize the dangers of their ongoing military operations,” he said. “They did not take all practical measures to prevent this tragedy.
“As far as PS752 is concerned, there is an obvious conflict of interest, manifested in many aspects, which affects the credibility of Iran’s investigations and reports.”
Algabra has also updated the Canadian Safe Skies Initiative Committee to help improve aviation safety in or near conflict zones. He said that Canada plans to submit a working paper at the upcoming ICAO COVID-19 high-level meeting. This article will propose suggestions for improving the investigation of aviation accidents based on the serious shortcomings exposed in this case.
“Without such an answer, how can we believe that Iran’s airspace is safe for international civil aviation and that we are doing our best to prevent another tragedy?” he said.
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