tijd | Oct. 2nd, 2016

2016 г. Саманта Пауэр, представитель США в ООН:

What members can be sure that Russia will not do today, or any day, is accept any responsibility for its actions. What members can be sure that Russia will not do is tell the truth.

1983 г. Джин Киркпатрик, представитель США в ООН:

Destruction of the civilian air liner of Korean Air Lines flight 007 was a deeply shocking act, but more disturbing than the deed itself has been the behavior of the Soviet Government in the days since it shot down that plane. Had the Soviet Government taken responsibility for the action, admitted that a terrible mistake had been made, offered compensation to the families for the loss of life, and, in co-operation with other States, undertaken a review of the incident to ensure that such a tragedy would not recur, then the consequences of the event would have been contained and, to the degree possible, minimized. Nothing, to be sure, could reclaim the lives of those 269 people, but relations among nations would not have suffered, and civilian air travel might have been rendered less vulnerable to such errors in the future.

But, as we all know, the response of the Soviet Government has been quite different. Instead of admitting error, it has insisted that no error was made. Instead of taking responsibility for the act, it has lashed out with groundless accusations. Instead of taking steps to ensure against a repetition of such an incident, it has emphasized that it would do the same thing all over again. By taking this position, the Soviet Union has magnified the negative consequences of a tragic incident and damaged anew the already tattered fabric of international relations. It has further poisoned the international atmosphere. For this, as for the incident itself, the Soviet Union must bear heavy responsibility.