Russia opposes UN tribunal for Malaysian Airlines crash

By Hale Turkes

ANKARA 

It would be counterproductive to establish an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine a year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Putin's remarks came during a phone conversation with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Thursday, the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that the call was made at the Netherlands' initiative.

The Boeing 777 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 killing all 298 people onboard. Two thirds of the passengers were Dutch nationals.

"Mr. Putin explained in detail Russia’s position on what it sees as an untimely and counterproductive initiative by a number of countries, including the Netherlands, to establish an international tribunal for criminal prosecution of individuals responsible for the Malaysian aircraft’s destruction," the statement said.

Malaysia, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ukraine - the five countries investigating the crash - urged the United Nations Tuesday to establish a criminal tribunal to charge those found responsible for downing the ill-fated plane.

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that they also considered an independent tribunal set up by the Security Council as the best solution to ensure fair justice for the victims and their families.

Putin noted that before taking decisions on judicial mechanisms and punishing those guilty of this crime, there must first be active work to conclude the international investigation, which should be thorough and objective, independent and comprehensive, in full accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2166, passed on July 21, 2014, at Russia’s initiative. 

At a memorial service marking the one-year anniversary of the tragedy last weekend, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had said that the multinational investigation was nearing conclusion, and authorities would be able to name the party responsible for the fatal incident.

The initial report on the crash released by the Dutch Research Council for Safety in September 2014 said that the crash was due to a “large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside,” denying the pilot had made a mistake.

The Dutch Council is expected to publish its final report in early October.

Days after the Malaysia Airline tragedy last year, Ukraine and the U.S. accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane, a claim Moscow rejected.