Germany calls for independent inquiry into plane's downing in Ukraine

BERLIN/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday called for an independent, international investigation into the downing of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine. Ukraine accused "terrorists" - militants fighting to unite eastern Ukraine with Russia - of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777 as it flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 295 people aboard. Merkel called for an "immediate, independent investigation into the causes of the crash", German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement. "If this news is confirmed, she said it would represent a further tragic escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," Seibert added. Read More http://ift.tt/1jD7VQA