Russian Federation blocks adoption of UN Security Council’s resolution on MH17 tribunal

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday made an “urgent” appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin not to veto a UN Security Council resolution to try those who shot down flight MH17 over Ukraine.

The flight was downed over rebel-held east Ukraine during heavy fighting between Kiev’s armed forces and pro-Russian separatists.

“We believe that a tribunal with the backing of the UN security council is mot likely to be able to deliver justice and we don’t want it politicised”.

The downing of the plane triggered a new round of Western economic sanctions against Russian Federation over the conflict in Ukraine, and deepened the worst stand-off between Moscow and the West since the Cold War ended. He said the draft resolution was submitted for a vote by Malaysia and its co-sponsors with the knowledge that it would be vetoed. “Only one hand was raised in opposition, but a veto should never be allowed to deny justice”, Ms Bishop said. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council after the vote that such a tribunal risked not being impartial and being subject to media “propaganda”, and he called past tribunals for the Rwanda genocide and the violence in the former Yugoslavia “expensive”.

“This is not a proper thing for the Security Council to do because it’s not a case of a threat to global peace and security”, Churkin said in a phone interview. But Moscow has rejected accusations it supplied the rebels with SA-11 Buk anti-aircraft missile systems. “Russia stands ready to cooperate in the conduct of a full, independent and objective investigation of the reasons and circumstances of the crash”. “Impunity will give a very risky signal”, he said, adding “we will very quickly agree on the next step…”

The vote at the UN came after last-minute efforts to convince Mr Putin to support the resolution, with the Dutch ambassador to the UN, Karel van Oosterom, tweeting that “it was preferable to make a decision about the tribunal before the facts and charges have been established precisely in order to avoid politicising the prosecution process”.

People talk near the remains of the fuselage of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove in Ukraine.

An air accident investigation into the causes of the crash is set to report in October, while a separate criminal investigation is expected to drag on at least to the end of this year.