 C00212851
 Document 47 of 25 for FBIS
 DGCNJ 000602688
 PDTG P 1815532 SEP 95
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 CLAS   UNCLAS 3L/FAX B#LAP CISMIL 866 355
 WARN WARNING: GENEVA: POLITICAL SECTION
 ATTN WSPO?O
 SERI SERIAL:   MMIS09155395
 PASS PASS:     ATTN WIRE SELECT
 Approved or Release
 No
 C00212851
 COPY TO fW
 COUN COUNTRY: BELARUS
 SU3J SUBJ:     RED TAPE PREDICTED TO  a:NCJER BALLOON DOWNING INQUIRY
 SOUR SOURCE:   MOSCOW IZVESTIYA IN RUSSIAN 16 SEP 95 P 3
 TEXT TEXT:
 //((REPORT BY VLADIMIR .MIKHE` EV:   "BEF O.R2E TAKING OFF, A U.S.
 BALLOONIST SAID THIS RACE WOULD BE HIS LAST"))
 ((FBIS TRANSLATED EXCERPT)) FOUR DAYS ON,  IT IS POSSIBLE TO
 FORECAST QUITE CONFIDENTLY THAT THE INVESTIGATION WHICH HAS BEGUN
 INTO THE DEATHS OF TWO U.S. PILOTS OF THE BALLOON DOWNED BY A
 BELARUSIAN AIR DEFENSE HELICOPTER TUESDAY IN THE REGION OF OSOVTSY
 MILITARY AIRFIELD WILL INEVITABLY CO.' UP AGAINST A MUDDLE OF PAPERS
 AND A BUREAUCRATIC LACK OF COORDINATION ON THE PART OF VARIOUS
 DEPARTMENTS.
 AN INVESTIGATION WILL HAVE TO BE CONDUCTED INTO WHETHER OR NOT IT
 WAS KNOWN IN BELARUS THAT FOREIGN BALLOONISTS MIGHT BE FLYING OVER
 BELARUS.   IF IT WAS,  WERE THOSE OFFICIALS WHO, BY VIRTUE OF THEIR
 JOBS,  ARE MEANT TO BE INFORMED ACTUALLY NOTIFIED OF THE PROBABLE
 *APPEARANCE OF "UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS" IN THEIR SOVEREIGN
 AIRSPACE?
 INCIDENTALLY,  THE LAST POINT COULD ALSO BE THE SUBJECT OF
 INVESTIGATION:   IS IT DIFFICULT TO MAKE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN A
 GAILY COLORED BALLOON, WITH A HEAVY BASKET, AND ANOTHER AIRCRAFT?
 THIS QUESTION IS APPROPRIATE, BECAUSE COLONEL LAZER, DEPUTY
 CO[T-LANDER OF AIR DEFENSE IN CHARGE OF FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, ORIGINALLY
 MAINTAINED THAT A METEOROLOGICAL OR OTHER KIND OF SONDE HAD BEEN
 DESTROYED BY FIRE FOR EFFECT.
 THERE IS ALSO CONFUSION IN THE CHRONOLOGY OF CONTACTS BETWEEN THE
 BELARUS IAN AUTHORITIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL AERONAUTICAL
 FEDERATION, WHICH IS OBLIGED TO WARN OF TRANSNATIONAL FLIGHTS BY ITS
 BALLOONISTS.   THE FEDERATION INFORMED MINSK BACK IN MARCH OF THE
 LONG-DISTANCE FLIGHT COMPETITION THAT WAS BEING PREPARED, VALERIY
 TSYAPKALA, BELARUSIAN DE?UTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DECLARED.
 ANOTHER DEPUTY HEAD OF THE FOREIGN POLICY DEPARTMENT -- PETR
 BELYAYEV -- MAINTAINED THAT THE NAVIGATION SERVICES HAD RECEIVED
 NOTIFICATION IN MAY.
 REUTERS REPORTED THAT AN EXECUTIVE ON THE SECURITY COUNCIL --
 YURIY SIVAKOV -- IN TURN RELATED THAT BACK IN JULY MINSK HAD LINKED
 ITS CONSENT TO THE PROVISION OF "NOTIFICATION" OF THE ESTABLISHED
 INTERNATIONAL KIND.   ACCORDING TO SIVAKOV, HOWEVER,  "WE DID NOT
 RECEIVE SUCH NOTIFICATION AND DID NOT GIVE TEE ORGANIZERS (OF THE
 COMPETITION) FORMAL PERMISSION."
 THIS CLAIM IS INSOLUBLY AT VARIANCE WITH THE POSITION OF THE
 INTERNATIONAL AERONAUTICAL FEDERATION.  A SPECIAL STATEMENT
 PUBLISHED IN ITS NAME BY THE ORGANIZER OF THE GORDON BENNETT-95 RACE
 -- THE SWISS AEROCLUB -- STATES THAT IT HAD "RECEIVED ALL THE
 NECESSARY PERMITS TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE OF BELARUS," TO WHICH THEY
 HAD PASSED A PRECISE INDICATION OF THE ROUTE.
 STRICTLY SPEAKING,  IT IS NOT EASY TO PREDICT WHERE THE PREVAILING
 WINDS WILL BLOW BALLOONS.  THE GERMANS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO WON THE
 RACE,  LANDED IN LATVIA BECAUSE THEY STAYED IN THE AIR FOR 92 HOURS.
 THE AUSTRIANS FLEW ON TO UKRAINE.  ANOTHER THREE U.S. CREWS FOUND
 THEMSELVES INSIDE BELARUS, AND TWO OF THEM LANDED SAFELY ON TERRA
 FIRMA THEMSELVES.
 LANCES ARE ALREADY BEING BROKEN OVER WHETHER THE CASUALTIES COULD
 PAVE HAD TIME TO TRANSMIT THEIR IDENTIFICATION SIGNALS.   THEY HAD AT
 THEIR DISPOSAL INSTRUMENTS ENABLING THEM TO FIX THEIR LOCATION AND
 TO MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION WITH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS.   IN
 PARTICULAR, THEY HAD MULTICHANNEL RADIO TRANSMITTERS AND A SYSTEM OF
 SOLAR BATTERIES FOR THEM.   THIS WOULD SEEM TO SWEEP ASIDE THE
 VERSION PUT FORWARD BY RUTH LUDWIG OF THE BALLOON FEDERATION OF
 AMERICA. WHO ASSU?ED?  SO A? RrPORTFD_  lr-1AT Tf s`;:a  urrnvcr ours-a
 000212851
 SUPPLY HAD CO,-fE TO AN END -- THE BATTERIES WERE FLAT.   ((PASSAGE
 OMITTED))
 THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT HAS VOICED SEVERE DISSATISFACTION WITH
 THE FACT THAT MINSK'KEPT QUIET ABOUT THE INCIDENT FOR 24 HOURS AND
 THEN CONFINED ITSELF TO AN EXPRESSION OF REGRET, WITHOUT EXPRESSING
 REPENTANCE OR MAKING A FORMAL APOLOGY.   AS STATE DEPARTMNT
 SPOKESMAN MIKE MCCURRY FORMULATED WASHINGTON'S POSITION,  "WE POSSESS
 INDIRECT EVIDENCE WHICH MIGHT ENA3LE US TO MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT
 THIS TRAGIC MISTAKE NEED NOT HAVE HAPPENED."  WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS
 SO HAS TO BE ASCERTAINED IN THE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION.
 THIS REPORT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL.  COPYING AND
 DISSEMINATION IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT
 OWNERS.
 (ENDALL) 16 SEP                     18/1557Z SEP      .46
 BT
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