MOSCOW, July 22 (RIA Novosti) – The United States welcomes the agreement between Malaysia and authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic on handing over two black boxes from the downed plane in eastern Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said.
“If true would be a step in the right direction,” Harf told reporters Monday adding that she could not confirm the reports independently.
The deal “in no way legitimizes” the republic’s prime minister, Alexander Boroday, she added.
On Monday, Donetsk militia handed over to Malaysian experts two flight data recorders recovered from the crash site of the Boeing plane in eastern Ukraine, stating that experts from the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are to get access to them.
The head of Malaysia’s delegation said the black boxes appear to be in a good condition.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement that authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic provided international investigators with safe access to the crash site.
“There is work still to be done, work which relies on continued communication in good faith. Mr Boroday and his people have so far given their co-operation,” Razak said.
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 airliner en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near Donetsk on July 17. Malaysia has sent a group of experts to Ukraine to take part in a large-scale international investigation of the tragedy.
