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              UN Security Council to Vote on MH17 Draft Resolution

   by VOA News

   The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a
   draft resolution establishing an international tribunal to try those
   suspected of shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane over eastern
   Ukraine a year ago.

   Malaysia, the Netherlands, Australia, Ukraine and Belgium have
   expressed their support for such a tribunal, and Malaysia has
   circulated a draft resolution to that effect.

   Russia has firmly opposed such a tribunal and is highly likely to use
   its veto.

   Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made an "urgent" appeal to Russian
   President Vladimir Putin Wednesday not to veto the resolution.

   Seeks Russia's support

   Rutte's office, in a statement published on the Dutch government
   website, said he telephoned Putin ahead of the vote in New York to seek
   the Russian leader's support for setting up the international tribunal.

   "In their open and detailed conversation, Mr. Rutte urged the Russian
   president to allow latitude for trying those responsible for the MH17
   disaster in a UN tribunal," the statement said.

   Moscow has said that it wants to wait for the completion of an ongoing
   Dutch-led international investigation into the air disaster.

   According to the statement, Rutte said he addressed Russia's concerns
   during the phone conversation.

   "It was preferable to make a decision about the tribunal before the
   facts and charges have been established precisely in order to avoid
   politicizing the prosecution process," Rutte said.

   ''The resolution would require all countries to cooperate with the
   special tribunal or face sanctions.

   Russia has offered its own draft resolution, demanding justice for
   those responsible for the crash, but opposes establishing a criminal
   tribunal regarding the MH17 air disaster.

   On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, with 298 passengers on
   board, about two-thirds of them Dutch, was hit by a surface-to-air
   missile over the eastern Ukraine region held by Russian-backed
   separatists.

   Ukraine and the West suspect the plane was shot down by either Russian
   soldiers or the separatists, but Russia has repeatedly denied that.

   Russia has presented a different scenario, denied by Kyiv, that the
   airliner was downed by a rocket fired from a Ukrainian fighter jet.
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   raft-resolution/2883270.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/un-security-council-to-vote-on-mh17-draft-resolution/2883270.html