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In Aftermath Of Plane Crash, Grief And Speculation Abound

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  • In Aftermath Of Plane Crash, Grief And Speculation Abound

    IN AFTERMATH OF PLANE CRASH, GRIEF AND SPECULATION ABOUND
    Compiled By Rachel Thorner

    New York Times
    May 4 2006

    A summary of the top stories in the Russian newspapers appears Monday
    through Friday.

    The crash of an Armenian airliner in southern Russia, which killed
    all 113 aboard, led the newspapers. The airliner, an Airbus 320
    belonging to Armavia airline, crashed into the Black Sea as it flew
    to the resort city of Sochi from Armenia's capital of Yerevan.

    Vremya Novostei reported that by Wednesday night, rescue workers had
    found 47 bodies and continued to search for the others as relatives
    waited anxiously for news.

    A team of experts has been assigned to investigate the the crash. "We
    are considering two versions-technical problems and a mistake by
    the pilot," Izvestia quoted the prosecutor general in Krasnodar, the
    region's capital, Sergei Yeremin, as saying. A colleague of the crew,
    whom it did not name, said that they could not "imagine that these
    people who knew the route like the back of their hands could make
    a mistake."

    Kommersant reported that investigators suggested that the crewmembers'
    "moral state" had been affected by the fact that they had to turn
    back to Yerevan because of a storm, and that this might have caused
    them to falter. Vremya Novostei reported that reason for the crash
    would likely never be established conclusively.

    Vremya Novostei led with a photograph of distraught relatives. Many
    sat around an airport television, with their heads in their hands,
    consoling one another. The airports in Sochi and Yerevan have provided
    medical and emotional support to family members and friends.

    "Many of them needed our help," an airport nurse told Izvestia after
    being called to work at 4 A.M. "But I understand that it is impossible
    to console them right now."

    IZVESTIA

    GEORGIA TO WITHDRAW FROM ALLIANCE: President Mikheil Saakashvili of
    Georgia announced his intention to resign from the Commonwealth of
    Independent States, a loose political and economic alliance of former
    Soviet republics. "Georgia does not get anything from the C.I.S.

    except humiliation," he said, in the latest manifestation of a
    deepening rift between Russia and Georgia.

    KADYROV GIVES INTERVIEW: Ramzan Kadyrov, the prime minister of
    Chechnya, said in an interview that it was his duty either to "jail
    or destroy" Shamil Basayev, the notorious Chechen rebel leader who
    has carried out some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Russia.

    VREMYA NOVOSTEI

    RICE URGES CHANGES BY RUSSIA: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
    said at a news conference that although Russian-American relations
    were mutually beneficial, Russia needed to shift its stance on several
    issues. Ms. Rice cited Russia's position on Iran and the Middle East,
    and its reaction to former Soviet republics that form alliances with
    the United States, among other things. Her comments were followed up
    today in a speech given by Vice President Dick Cheney, who sharply
    criticized Russia for what he said was backsliding on human rights;
    Mr Cheney also suggested that Moscow is interfering with democratic
    movements among its neighbors.

    KOMMERSANT

    RUSSIAN ROLE IN SERBIA DISPUTE: The European Union ended talks with
    Serbia on normalizing relations after the country refused to turn
    over the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, Ratko Mladic
    - its leading war crimes suspect - to the International Criminal
    Tribunal. The paper suggested the conflict could entangle Russia
    because it is harboring another Bosnian Serb, Dragan Zelenovich,
    who is also wanted by the Tribunal for war crimes.

    MEETING WITH JAPAN COAST GUARD: The head of Japan's Coast Guard,
    Hiroki Ishikawa, is to meet with Russian security service officials to
    discuss environmental-protection projects, the preservation of marine
    biological resources, and joint efforts against contraband goods.

    ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA

    CLAIMS OF PROGRESS ON PIRACY: The paper reported that Russia is
    clamping down on the pirating of intellectual property, one of the
    major impediments to its entry into the World Trade Organization.

    "America refuses to also recognize the positive changes in our
    country," the paper said.

    MOSKOVSKAYA PRAVDA

    INSIDE THE KREMLIN: A new television film, to be shown on May 10,
    explores the mysteries of the Kremlin, showing chambers that, the
    article says, some politicians do not have access to. The film is
    named after the garden just outside the Kremlin, Alexander Garden.
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