Netherlands again pushing UN for MH17 tribunal

The Netherlands, along with the other involved countries, is once again pushing for the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. According to Het Parool, the involved ministers are referring to the United Nations Security Council's Resolution 2166, which was unanimously adopted just after the disaster. This resolution states that all member states have to cooperate in the prosecution of those responsible for the disaster. The ministers believe that an UN tribunal will be the best option for prosecuting the responsible parties as it is independent and transparent. The UN Security Council was supposed to vote on the tribunal last week, but the vote was postponed. Russia is firmly opposed against a tribunal, calling it counterproductive and premature, partly because the criminal investigation into the disaster has not been completed yet. In the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry's statement about the tribunal, they also refer to Resolution 2166. According to Russia, the other involved countries are violating the Resolution by allowing Russia very little access to the international investigation. Russia can block the establishment of the tribunal as the country has veto power within the UN Security Council. The investigation by the five countries - the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, the Ukraine and Belgium - is expected to be completed in October. In pushing for the tribunal, the ministers are reminding the Council of the widespread desire for justice for the victims and their families. They also warn that letting such a crime go unpunished will constitute a major and unacceptable risk to the safety of passenger aircraft in the future, according to Het Parool.