AF crash memorial in Brazil amid criticism

By BRADLEY BROOKS Associated Press Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Scores of relatives of the 228 people killed in the June 1 Air France jet crash dedicated a memorial in an upscale beach neighborhood Saturday amid strong criticism that the airline has failed to provide them with the answers or compensation they were promised.

Nelson Marinho, who lost a son on the flight and is president of an association of Brazilian victims' family members, called the dedication a smoke screen by Air France to hide a lack of information and promised financial payments.

"We don't want ceremonies," he said.

Marinho said many Brazilian relatives had yet to receive promised compensation payments. He also said that any memorial for the victims should be located closer to where the jet went down - off Brazil's northeastern coast, about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) north of Rio.

Air France said in a statement Thursday that the Rio memorial was created "at the request of 75 percent of the families contacted." The statement didn't indicate how many of the families had been reached, however. More than 150 relatives arrived on buses to attend Saturday's dedication. The French Foreign Ministry had said it expected 500 participants.

French Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet, who was in Rio for the ceremony, told reporters that France's government will investigate if and why some families have yet to receive compensation payments, and if the families of non-French victims have been treated differently.

The Airbus A330 en route from Rio to Paris crashed after running into thunderstorms. All aboard were killed, and the cause remains unclear.

The black boxes on the jet that could provide clues as to what caused the aircraft to go down have not been found.

French authorities said earlier this week that a third search for the black boxes - expected to start by the end of this year - was now delayed until at least the end of February.

In June, Air France chief executive Phillipe Gourgeon told RTL radio that the airline planned to make an advance payment of about $24,400 for each of the victims, with no strings attached.

But Marinho said there were families who had not received any of the initial compensation.

"I am not saying that you could put a price tag on any life, but it would help alleviate our suffering," he said.

Marinho added that the ceremony "is a smoke screen to take the focus off the responsibility that they have."

Calls to Air France's Brazilian offices Saturday were not immediately returned.