Poland rejects Russia’s report on President Kaczynski’s death
December 17th, 2010 - 10:52 pm ICT by BNO NewsWARSAW, POLAND (BNO NEWS) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday rejected Russia’s report on the causes of the plane crash which killed late President Lech Kaczynski and other high-ranking officials in April.
According to the RIA Novosti news agency, the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) envoy Edmund Klich said that the crash of President Kaczynski’s plane was caused by twelve factors, not one. In addition, mistakes and violations made during the preparations and during the flight contributed to the fatal crash.
However, Tusk said that the IAC draft report cannot be accepted in the form in which it was provided by Russia, saying his government has multiple problems with the document.
In September, Poland first expressed its concerns with the progress of the Russian investigation and informed Russian authorities about them. Poland felt that some information was not transmitted and many doubts the Polish government had remain unanswered.
A major concern was also that the Polish government had not received detailed information from Smolensk airport and the procedures followed by its personnel, which could be useful in determining the cause of the crash.
Poland further urged a satisfactory explanation over the allegations against the Smolensk airport, served by the Russian military, which apparently does not meet the International Civil Aviation Organization’s standards of a civilian airport as it is a military airport.
Last April, President Lech Kaczynski, 60, was killed when the Polish Presidential plane crashed near Smolensk airport in western Russia. A total of 132 people, including former Polish President Ryszard Kaczorowski and Chief of Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Franciszek GÄ…gor, were killed.
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- Polish president and first lady among at least 96 dead in presidential plane crash in Russia - Apr 10, 2010
- No changes in Russia-Poland relations after plane crash report - Aug 04, 2011
- Air crash: Polish, Russian investigators examining flight data recorders - Apr 11, 2010
- Kaczynski's brother blasts Russian probe of plane crash - Jan 12, 2011
- Poland partly blames Russia for presidential plane crash - Jul 29, 2011
- Russia sends Poland files on presidential plane crash - Apr 07, 2011
- Polish president, a friend of India, dies in air crash - Apr 10, 2010
- Transcript from the ill-fated polish flight published - Jun 02, 2010
- Poland begins week of mourning after Russian air crash - Apr 11, 2010
- Experts study Polish president's plane records - Apr 11, 2010
- Poland to reconstruct jet crash that killed president - Jan 23, 2011
- Prince Charles to attend Poland President Kaczynski's funeral - Apr 15, 2010
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