Translated material
Political "boxes"
Poland and Russia agreed to transfer information from the crashed plane
Yesterday in Moscow, the Polish delegation led by Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Jerzy Miller was given copies of the “black box” recordings of the Polish plane that crashed near Smolensk on April 10. On board were 96 dignitaries, including head of state Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria. They all died. The investigation into the causes of the plane crash, and there are countless versions of them, remains the focus of attention of the Polish public, who were prepared in advance for the release of the flight recorder records.They even determined the order in which the secrets of conversations in the cockpit of the crashed Tu-154 should be revealed in the very next few days. First, Jerzy Miller must familiarize himself with them, then Prime Minister Donald Tusk, then the National Security Council, which will set a date for their open publication. Prior to this, only Edmund Klich, the authorized representative of Poland at the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), was familiar with the transcript of the negotiations in the cockpit. It was he who first voiced the cause of the tragedy near Smolensk, pointing out the mistake of the pilots.
In addition, it was already known from the “black boxes” that at the last minute before the disaster, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Air Force, General Andrzej Blasik, was in the cockpit. He, as follows from the decrypted recording, did not insist on landing, but did not prohibit landing in conditions of limited visibility. Mr. Klich has become the main character of the news in Poland these days - so active that he received a scolding from Prime Minister Tusk for spending too much time in television studios and “excessive statements.”
The majority of Polish politicians, including Prime Minister Tusk, supported the release of transcripts of conversations in the cockpit of the crashed plane (with the exception of fragments of personal content). In Poland, the fast-moving presidential campaign is entering the home stretch - presidential elections will take place on June 20. Unfortunately, some politicians cannot refrain from speculating on the Smolensk tragedy. Posters depicting deceased President Lech Kaczynski appear on the streets. Gazeta Polska, which supports the campaign of his twin brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski, never tires of cultivating a “conspiracy theory” involving Russians. The headline on the front page of the latest issue reads: “It was an assassination attempt.”
Jaroslaw Kaczynski himself, who has not appeared in public for almost a month, at meetings with voters not only recalls the tragedy, but also calls for “the truth in revealing the causes of the terrible catastrophe,” questioning the openness of the investigation. For this reason, there were demands to make the recordings of conversations in the cockpit during the last 30 minutes of the tragic flight open to everyone. And do this as quickly as possible, so as not to create the possibility of political manipulation of the transcripts in the election campaign, by publishing them a day or two before the elections.
As a result of yesterday's meeting between Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov and Polish Minister Jerzy Miller, a joint memorandum was signed, which sets out all the conditions for the transfer of copies of flight recorder records and other details of the investigation. Mr. Ivanov emphasized that “the transfer of copies of all data does not mean the end of the investigation,” clarifying that until the end of the investigation, international practice prohibits the publication of the pilots’ negotiations. “The investigation is proceeding as quickly, efficiently and transparently as possible,” said the head of the IAC, Tatyana Anodina. “The final report, once approved, will be released to the public.”
Jerzy Miller thanked the Russian side for the “non-standard approach to the matter,” which has become “unique” in international practice. According to him, “Russian specialists approached the investigation with high professionalism.” The guest asked the Russian side to consider the possibility of transferring the original documents to Poland at the end of the investigation. He explained: “In Poland, this tragedy is perceived as difficult and difficult. It is important for us that all the details are clarified as quickly and as accurately as possible.” Sergei Ivanov did not rule out that in the future, “when the commission completes the investigation and if there is an appropriate court decision, the Russian side may transfer the original documents to Poland.”
Meanwhile, in Poland itself, critical statements immediately appeared against Russia for not immediately publishing the recordings of the “black boxes.” In this regard, Jerzy Miller, who signed the memorandum together with the Minister of Transport Igor Levitin and Tatyana Anodina, considered that Russia’s consent to the publication of materials was not necessary. According to him, such restrictions stem from the Chicago Convention, on the basis of which the Russian IAC operates. “You cannot disclose something that creates a negative image of a person, but does not affect the events on board,” explained the Polish minister. He said that Russia would be warned about the Polish side's plans to make the black box recordings public.