You're reading: Russia vetoes resolution to set up MH17 international tribunal

As expected, Russia used its veto at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on July 29 to block moves to set up an international tribunal to investigate the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Malaysia
in mid-July submitted a draft resolution on setting up the tribunal
to the U.N. But Russia soon made it clear that it would oppose the
measure, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16 describing
any such tribunal as “counterproductive and premature.”
Russia
was the only country on the 15-member U.N. Security Council to oppose
the resolution.

In explaining Russia’s decision, Russia’s Ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin reiterated earlier statements that a tribunal would be premature and also questioned whether the investigation into the tragedy could “resist the propaganda” from Western media.

U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Samantha Power hit back, vowing that “no veto will stand in the way” of getting justice for the victims and slamming Russia for having “callously disregarded the public outcry in the affected nations” and “frustrated international peace.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin expressed regret over the decision and hit out at Russia, noting that “the role of Russia in this conflict is absolutely clear” and saying the only reason to veto the tribunal would be out of guilt.

“If you are afraid of truth, you are definitely on the wrong side. You are alone here,” Klimkin said.

Three
countries abstained: China, Angola, Venezuela
.

Russia,
as one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council,
has the power to block approval of a council resolution. For a
resolution to pass, it must gain the votes of at least nine of the 15
council members, including all five of the permanent members – China,
France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Russia’s
veto means the countries backing an international investigation into
the destruction of MH17 will probably have to look for other ways to
move the process along, as well as to put pressure on Russia to
cooperate.

The
Netherlands, which was given leadership of the current crash
investigation and criminal probe into the MH17 tragedy at the request
of Ukraine, is likely to be at the forefront of further efforts to
widen the investigation. There were 194 Dutch citizens among the 298
who were killed when MH17 broke apart in the air and crashed over
eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

Although
the current air crash investigation into the MH17 tragedy that is
being carried out by the Dutch Safety Board is not expected to
release its findings until October, leaks from the board and
investigations carried out by media and citizen journalists strongly
indicate that the plane was downed by a powerful Buk anti-aircraft
missile. Experts, citing photo, video, wire-tap and satellite
imagery, suspect Russia of supplying the missile system to
anti-government forces in eastern Ukraine shortly before MH17 was
destroyed.

A
parallel criminal investigation into the MH17 tragedy that is being
carried out by Dutch prosecutors is expected to present its findings
only in 2016.

Kyiv
Post editor Euan MacDonald can be reached at [email protected].