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Dutch push for UN tribunal over MH17 crash

July 3, 2015

Mark Rutte's government is lobbying for the creation of a UN tribunal, which would prosecute suspects in downing of the Malaysian plane, officials have said. Most of the 298 victims in last year's incident were Dutch.

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Brüssel Premierminister Niederlande Mark Rutte
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Waem

A UN tribunal would give "the best guarantee of cooperation from all countries" in seeking justice, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday. The news comes only a day after Malaysia announced it would file a draft resolution calling for such a tribunal to be established.

"Based on all insights, information and advice, we say this is by far the most-preferred route. We do have a back-up plan, but a UN tribunal is our best option," said Rutte, stating the official stance of his government in the Netherlands for the first time.

Flight MH17 was likely shot down over Ukraine battlefields last year, sparking international outrage. Authorities in Kyiv and the pro-Russian rebels still trade accusations on who might have fired the alleged missile which hit the civilian plane.

The incident, which killed 298, also raised the stakes in the stand-off between Russia and the West, with each supporting a narrative compatible with their own interests.

'More questions' than answers

The MH17 crash is being investigated by a team of international experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine and Belgium. Although no suspects have been named yet, the team recently announced it is looking into several people including potential "decision-makers as well as perpetrators."

On Thursday, a Russian aviation official criticized a draft report by the Dutch Safety Board, saying it "raises more questions than it gives answers." The confidential report was made available to representatives of Malaysia, Ukraine, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands in early June.

Malaysian idea open to consideration

Russian representatives criticized the Malaysian initiative on Thursday, with Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov calling it "not timely, and counterproductive." However, Russia did not raise formal objections after Malaysia presented its case in the UN Security Council.

"Our sense was that all council members, including Russia, were open to further consider the matter," said Malaysian diplomat Johan Ariff Abdul Razak.

dj/msh (AP, Reuters, AFP)