UN panel urges Iran to speed investigation of downed jet

A governing panel at the UN’s aviation agency urged Iran on Friday to accelerate an investigation into the downing of a Ukrainian airliner in January, while an Iranian official said a final report on the crash would be circulated soon. The ICAO said members of its 36-nation council issued the call, nearly 10 months after a Ukraine International Airlines flight was shot down by an Iranian ground-to-air missile, killing 176 people. “We have had several exchanges with the Iranian CAA in which we urged its authorities to expedite the accident investigation,” council president Salvatore Sciacchitano told a meeting of the committee, according to ICAO. Iran’s representative to ICAO, however, said he had made a full report to the council on the progress of the investigation. A draft of the final report has been completed and is being translated, Farhad Parvaresh said. It will be sent to participating nations in “a couple of weeks,” he said, adding that Iran was adhering to international rules on air investigations known as Annex 13.<br/>