747’s intrusion provocation by U.S., says Tass

Press, 5 September 1983, Page 1

747’s intrusion provocation by U.S., says Tass

NZPA-Reuter

Moscow

A Soviet statement has described the intrusion of a South Korean airliner into its airspace as an American provocation and accused President Reagan of denying sovereign rights of defence.

President Reagan, who has denounced as “murder” the alleged Soviet destruction of the South Korean jumbo jet, is expected to announce some retaliatory action today. Western diplomats in Moscow said the statement, issued by the official news agency, Tass, yesterday came closer than earlier ones to implying that a Soviet fighter shot down the plane with the loss of 269 lives. It was also the first time that the Soviet news media

had told the Soviet public that the lost plane was an airliner. No mention was made, however, of the number dead. The long statement, read on national television news, consisted almost entirely of suggestions that the South Korean airliner was on a spying mission for United States intelligence. Tass said it was necessary to find out “who sent this plane to Soviet air space and for what purpose.” The statement neither denied nor confirmed that Soviet aircraft shot down the plane, but contained an implicit justification of a right to take whatever action thought necessary when national airspace was violated. Tass said the White House was shedding crocodile tears over the lost aircraft. “Does Mr President believe that the very concept of national sovereignty no longer exists and one may intrude with impunity into the air space of independent States?” Tass asked. Diplomats said the statement made it clear that Moscow was reluctant to say publicly it had shot down a civilian airliner and was equally unwilling to apologise to that section of world opinion convinced of Soviet responsibility. The Soviet attitude appeared to offer little hope of a mutually acceptable resolution to the crisis.

President Reagan said yesterday that the Soviet leadership had “flunked the test” of public credibility by not acknowledging responsibility for the tragedy. The large amount of news media attention devoted to the incident appeared to reflect concern that Soviet citizens should be made fully aware of the official version of such an emotive issue. So far the reaction of Soviet citizens asked about the incident has varied from cautious acceptance that any Government decision is unquestionable to shocked disbelief that the Soviet armed forces could have shot down an unarmed civilian airliner. The White House deputy press secretary, Mr Larry Speakes, said the President would probably announce measures against Moscow soon after meeting Congressional leaders at the White House. Officials said the United States could take unilateral action, while seeking an international agreement curtailing civilian flights in and out of the Soviet Union. They said that Mr Reagan had ruled out “major” economic reprisals, such as cancelling the long-term grain agreement signed with Moscow last month, or any other moves that would deepen the crisis over the airliner. The President said yesterday that the incident must

not interfere with this week’s resumption of talks in Geneva on reducing United States-Soviet nuclear arsenals.

In his weekly radio broadcast yesterday, Mr Reagan said, “This murder of innocent civilians is a serious international issue between the Soviet Union and civilised people everywhere who cherish individual rights and value human life.”

Mr Reagan again rejected Soviet statements that the South Korean plane was on a spy mission and was merely warned off by shots from Soviet jets.

He called on the world to respond in “a calm, controlled, but absolutely firm manner.” But later, after meeting the American arms control negotiator, Mr Paul Nitze, he said the disarmament talks should continue.

The chief Soviet negotiator on medium-range missiles in Europe made it clear yesterday that the incident should not affect the next round of arms talks due to start in Geneva tomorrow.

He said the Soviet Union was firmly in favour of reaching agreement in Geneva.

The Japanese newspaper, “Yomiuri Shimbun” has suggested that Soviet pilots may have mistaken the Boeing 747 for a United States Air Force RCI3S reconnaissance aircraft and shot it down.

The “Yomiuri” report said Soviet ground-to-air radio transmissions, monitored by Japanese authorities before the moment that the fighters fired the missiles, referred to what can be understood as “RC135,” an electronic surveillance aircraft of the U.S.A.F. Strategic Air Command. The newspaper said the Boeing RCI3S — similar to the Boeing 707 airliner — measures 47 metres in length, compared to the 747’s 70 metres, but has a similar silhouette. Soviet pilots may have incorrectly recognised the plane because of poor night-time visibility, assumed it was on strategic reconnaissance duties, and shot it down on orders from ground command, it said.

American and Japanese military sources told Japanese dailies earlier that there are at least five Soviet airbases on Sakhalin. Tupolev “Backfire” bombers, capable of nuclear strikes, are based on one of them, and a few bases for nuclearpowered submarines are located there, they said. Japanese Government sources have said the Foreign Ministry may release the taped recordings of Soviet transmissions at the United Nations if the Soviet Union does not admit it shot down the aircraft.

A senior State Department official said yesterday that he knew nothing to indicate that the pilot of the Korean airliner was aware his craft was in trouble and tried to signal to a nearby Soviet fighter pilot.

“I don’t think he ever knew what hit him,” said the senior official, who insisted on anonymity. Officials at Tokyo's Narita Airport said there was no indication from radio contact with the Korean pilot that he was aware of the Soviet fighters.

In the last reported radio transmission, the pilot told Japanese air controllers that he was on course, even though he apparently already was deep in restricted Soviet air space. It is believed that the plane was shot down as it was leaving the restricted area near Sakhalin Island. The “New York Times” on Saturday quoted unidentified senior American intelligence officials as saying that a preliminary analysis of “fragmentary” intercepted Soviet groundair radio conversations indicated that the Korean pilot signalled in some way to the Soviet fighter pilot that he would comply with interception procedures. These officials offered no explanation as to why the pilot would not have relayed word of this to the Japanese air controllers.

State Department officials have said they were sure the Soviet interceptors had correctly identified the Boeing 747 and Japanese news agencies have reported that Soviet pilots told their controllers that their “target" was a civilian airliner.

Mr John Hughes, the State Department spokesman, saia that reports of the communication between the Soviet pilot and his ground control, quoted him as saying he saw blinking

lights on the plane. “The attacking pilot specifically mentioned the blinking navigation lights," said Mr Hughes, offering the information to refute the Soviet suggestion that the aircraft was on an intelligence mission, sneaking into restricted air space and not displaying any lights. But the fact that the pilot reported blinking lights was not taken here as an indication the Korean pilot tried to signal distress or response to Soviet warnings. “The navigation lights were on and operating in a normal fashion,” said Mr Hughes. The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), quoting unidentified government sources, said yesterday that Japan’s defence agency had tape recordings of conversations from the Soviet fighters indicating the airliner was not given proper warning before it was shot down.

The president of the American Air Line Pilots' Association urged the Reagan Administration to call for a world-wide suspension of air services to the Soviet Union, said a spokesman for the group.

Mr Henry Duffy, president of the A.L.P.A., met State Department officials to urge the action in response to the airliner’s loss.

“The recommendation made by Mr Duffy was to have all countries of the free world stop their flights into Russia and to have Soviet Aeroflot flights refused service at all aerodromes throughout the free world,” said the spokesman, Mr Marty Martinez.