OTTAWA—Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has spoken to his Iranian counterpart seeking Canadian participation in the investigation into the fatal crash of Ukrainian airlines flight with 63 Canadians onboard with but it’s not clear whether Canada will be granted access to the probe. In a statement Thursday, Champagne’s office said that the minister spoke to his with counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran. “Minister Champagne stressed the need for Canadian officials to be quickly granted access to Iran to provide consular services, help with the identification of the deceased and take part in the investigation of the crash,” the statement said. “Minister Champagne said that Canada and Canadians have many questions which will need to be answered,” it said. The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed just minutes after take-off from Tehran’s airport, headed for Kyiv. All 176 people onboard were killed, including 138 passengers headed onward to Canada. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that Canada, which has offered technical assistance, should be involved given the large number of Canadian victims. “We expect to have a role in this investigation. Canadians will be asking for answers and we are there to support and find out the truth,” he said. Champagne’s office said the two expressed condolences over the crash. But it did not indicate what the Iranian response was to Champagne’s appeal. It also said that Champagne also condemned that Iranian air strikes that targetted two Iraqi military bases where U.S. and coalition forces were based, including one with Canadians. There were no casualties. Canada has no formal diplomatic ties with Iran. The previous Conservative government closed the Canadian embassy in Tehran in 2012, a fact that has complicated Canada’s response to this week’s air disaster. Bruce Campion-Smith is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @yowflier |