(Ottawa) Canada, UK, Sweden and Ukraine have given Iran three weeks to participate in negotiations over compensation for families of victims of a downed Ukrainian airliner in Tehran nearly two years by an Iranian missile.
“Iran has until January 5, 2022 to confirm its participation in negotiations with the coordination group,” said the four countries on Thursday in a joint statement, specifying that after this date “it would be futile to continue to try to negotiate repairs ”.
On January 8, 2020, Iranian armed forces shot down the Boeing operating Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 between Tehran and Kiev shortly after take off.
Iran did not admit the facts until three days later, saying it shot down the device “by mistake”.
The tragedy claimed the lives of 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents as well as nationals of the other three countries and Iran.
“Almost two years have passed since the destruction of flight PS752, and yet the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown no interest in respecting its international legal obligations”, explain the four countries.
The group indicates that its patience “is running out” and that it will have to “seriously consider the actions to be taken to resolve this issue within the framework of international law”.
At the end of November, the four countries denounced Tehran’s attitude and their “deep disappointment” that Iran had not accepted its multiple requests for a meeting to be held.
The coordination group says it “remains united in its goal of holding the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for the acts and omissions of civilian and military officials who caused the deaths of 176 innocent people.”
In March, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) laundered its armed forces in its final report on the tragedy.
Ukraine then denounced a “cynical attempt to hide the real causes” and Ottawa a report “incomplete” and without “hard evidence”.