MOSCOW, July 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have discussed in a telephone conversation the crash of the Malaysian plane in Ukraine and stressed the importance of a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the tragedy, the press service of the Kremlin reported.
"The discussion of the crisis in Ukraine continued, including in the context of the Malaysia Airlines plane crash in the Donetsk Region. Both sides stressed the importance of a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the incident," the statement said.
Merkel commended Russia's readiness to send a representative to participate in the investigation. The chancellor also agreed that the investigation "must be conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) involving all interested parties."
Furthermore, the German and Russian leaders stressed the need for an early cessation of hostilities in the southeast of Ukraine and the initiation of peace talks. The consultations of the contact group on Ukraine with the participation of militia representatives must also be resumed, and the initiative to send OSCE observers to the checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border must be fully implemented, the leaders said.
The Malaysia Airlines plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed on Thursday near the town of Torez in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region. The complete death toll is 298 people.
Rescuers have revealed two black boxes from the plane. Ukraine and Malaysia Airlines are already investigating the accident at the site, with the help of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which ensures international presence.
Kiev blamed independence supporters in the turbulent Donetsk Region for downing the passenger plane with a surface-to-air missile.
The leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic said local militia did not have the required technology to shoot a target flying as high as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in the air. The missile systems that were found in the Ukrainian military unit, which was captured by self-defense forces, were a «scrap pile» unfit to be used and beyond repair, according to independence supporters.
