Canada: Our skies are not safe until Iran tells the truth about the Ukrainian plane
Ralph Goodall, a special advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said on Thursday, June 10, that as long as Iran refuses to tell the whole truth about the downing of the Ukrainian plane, the country's skies will remain unsafe.
Ralph Goodall said at a meeting of the country's parliamentary transport committee that "in my opinion, Canada should raise this issue at every meeting (of the International Civil Aviation Organization), in other UN agencies, through every channel and method."
Ukrainian airliner PS-752 was shot down by at least two missiles fired by the Revolutionary Guard Corps on January 8, 2019, killing all 176 people on board, most of whom were Iranians and dual Iranian-Canadian citizens. Citizens (including dual citizens) from Afghanistan, Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Ukraine were also killed in the incident.
The Islamic Republic denied shooting down the flight for several days, but after the release of evidence and documents by the United States, Australia, Canada, and Britain, it finally admitted under international pressure that the plane was shot down by missiles from the Revolutionary Guards' defense system, but claimed that the incident occurred due to "human error."
Ralph Goodall, who was appointed by Justin Trudeau as a special advisor to the Canadian government regarding Ukraine Flight 752, also said that Iran has sought to evade and mislead from day one.
The Canadian Prime Minister's Special Advisor added, "The world needs to take this issue seriously. There is no reason to believe that Tehran's skies are any safer today than they were in January 2022."
Ralph Goodall also called the Iranian Airlines report about the downing of the passenger plane late, "symbolic" and lacking any evidence.
The Canadian Prime Minister's special advisor further stated that Iran should have closed its skies on January 8 and warned commercial aircraft about the conflict.
He added that Iran has assumed a kind of immunity for itself, has not accepted responsibility for its deadly act, and there is no sign of remorse in its behavior.
Ralph Goodall emphasized, yes, the families of the victims should be outraged, and so should the entire international community. We have been told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And without that, no one can and should feel safe and secure above the still dangerous skies of Iran.
Last week, Canada, Britain, Sweden, and Ukraine formed a group led by Canada and issued a joint statement, calling on Iran to begin formal negotiations on paying compensation to the survivors of the Ukrainian plane victims, and stating that the Islamic Republic must fulfill its legal responsibility in this regard.
In their joint statement, these countries emphasized that the two missiles that Iran fired at the passenger plane, as well as its "negligence" in preparing the relevant report, "constitute a violation of international law."
In response to the publication of this statement, Manouchehr Moradi, Iran's ambassador to Ukraine, tweeted on Friday, June 4, referring to Iran's readiness to hold the next round of talks, saying that in these "negotiations, we will only answer remaining and non-repeated questions within the framework of the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Hamed Esmailiyon, spokesman for the Flight 752 Families Association, tweeted in response to the Iranian ambassador to Ukraine's statement that "they do not recognize the Group of Four countries and will not negotiate," saying: "Dare to announce it officially. You know you don't have the courage."
Source: Radio Farda
