Israel’s Foreign Minister Shimon Peres arrives in Kiev on an official visit

Ukraine plans to proceed with consultations on compensations to the families of the dead in the plane crash if authorized persons will be in the Israeli delegation

Israel’s First Vice-Premier Shimon Peres met with President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Anatoly Kinakh in Kiev. On his arrival in Ukraine, Mr.Peres said during a press conference that talks with Ukraine’s leadership will concern the Tu-154 plane crash over the Black Sea on October 4. The plane was accidentally brought down during training of the Ukrainian air defense forces.

Compensation to the relatives of the dead is the main objective of Peres’s visit to Ukraine. After very long denials in regard to the accident, Ukraine had to admit its guilt when the Russian commission for the investigation of the plane crash presented evidence. Interfax cites the following: “If authorized people are included in Israel’s delegation, the Ukrainian party will proceed with the consideration of the compensation problem.”

Talks on compensation have been already held in Israel with participation of a Ukrainian delegation at the end of November. However, exact dates for the granting of compensations were not announced.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry informs that the Ukrainian and Israeli delegations agreed that all moot points will be considered without bringing the issue to court. Israel, in its turn, is to present the exact number of the dead and claims of the families for compensation.

Ukraine will use world precedents in the settlement of such accidents, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said.

Translated by Maria Gousseva

In the photo: Shimon Peres

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/12/26/35151.html