Canada offers aid to Iran air crash families
CANADA’S Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will compensate families of Canadian victims of the Ukraine Airlines jet shot down by Iran.
Mr Trudeau yesterday pledged his government will give more than £19,000 per victim to support families and to assist with “funeral arrangements and travel”.
It brings the funding awarded to all 57 Canadian citizen victims or permanent residents to more than £1.5million.
Mr Trudeau revealed the sum was decided upon following meetings with victims’ families over their needs, including travel costs. He said: “It is not the compensation that we expect will come and should come from Iran, but these families need help now and we will be getting this money to them as quickly as we possibly can.”
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met for the third time with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Muscat, Oman, yesterday.
Mr Champagne said: “We are judging Iran every day, demand by demand.”
During his first sermon in eight years, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday described the shooting down of the Ukrainian airliner a bitter accident that had saddened Iran, but brought happiness to the country’s enemies.
Talks were held in London on Thursday with all the countries involved in the crash – including Britain, Sweden, Afghanistan, and Ukraine – urging Tehran to tackle issues including access, compensation, and repatriating remains.