Paul Guard’s parents - Roger and Jill Guard from the Queensland city of Toowoomba - were among 298 passengers and crew killed when the Malaysia Airlines jetliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17.
“More important than finding out what happened to the plane is working for a longer peaceful settlement in Ukraine, because what happened to the airliner is important - but it’s not as important as stopping the loss of further innocent lives in Ukraine,” Mr Guard has told SBS.
“I am encouraged that at least there is a ceasefire, a tentative ceasefire that’s a good thing, it needs to continue. I do think people need to continue talking to each other rather than fighting each other and certainly ever since this incident happened that’s been my focus,” Mr Guard said.
Mr Guard believes the fact the aircraft was brought down over a conflict zone compounded the tragedy for many families.
“The only thing that would make me at all happy out of this situation is if it would end up being a catalyst for a peaceful solution to that conflict, certainly my parents would want a stop to the bloodshed,” he said.
This week new findings into the MH17 crash revealed the Malaysian Airlines plane broke up mid-air, but Mr Guard said it did not provide key information many are seeking.
“I thought it was a useful report confirming what we had already been told, so it was useful in that respect but obviously it didn’t really answer many of the main questions in answering who fired the missile," he said.
Mr Guard is relieved his parents have been identified he feels for the families still waiting on confirmation.
The bodies of Roger and Jill Guard are being repatriated to Australia today and will arrive in Toowoomba on Sunday, ahead of a private funeral service.
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