U.N., int`l community call for `full, transparent` probe

The United Nations and the international community have strongly called for "a full, thorough and independent international investigation" into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and sent condolence messages to the victims` bereaved families.

The U.N. Security Council called for an urgent meeting on Friday to discuss the issue at Britain`s request. The United States, major European countries and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization urged the U.N. to lead the investigation in a swift and perfect manner.

After hearing the new on the previous day, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held a news conference, expressing his condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Malaysia. "There is clearly a need for a full and transparent international investigation," Ban stressed.

U.S. President Barack Obama also issued a statement, saying, "The United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why." He noted that his administration was in close contact with the Ukrainian government.

Obama also had telephone conversations with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The White House said that Obama had agreed with the Malaysian prime minister to allow only the incident`s investigators to access the flight recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Obama also agreed with the Ukrainian leader that all evidence has to remain at the scene until international investigators shed light on every aspect of the tragedy.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday banned all U.S. passenger aircrafts to fly over eastern Ukraine. The FAA declared a no-flight zone over the Crimean Peninsula and eastern Ukraine but the area of the latest disaster was not included in the zone.

South Korea`s two flag carriers – Korean Air and Asiana Airlines – said Friday that they had been detouring the space over Ukraine for safety reasons since March 3, when the Ukrainian situation worsened. Other international carriers including Germany`s Lufthansa, the Netherlands` KLM and some Chinese commercial airlines have also avoided flying over eastern Ukraine.