Dutch back international tribunal for MH17

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte says he supports moves to set up an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down a Malaysian Airlines plane over Ukraine last year.

Russia has resisted, with deputy foreign minister Gennadiy Gatilov lashing the proposal as “not timely, and counter-productive”.

Nearly 200 of the 298 passengers and crew killed when the Boeing 777 was brought down were Dutch. Rutte said the Dutch government believes a tribunal is the “best option for bringing to justice the perpetrators”.

Malaysia told the UN Security Council on Thursday that it plans to submit a resolution soon that would establish an international tribunal. Diplomats said Malaysia’s UN ambassador Ramlan Bin Ibrahim informed council members that the resolution is being prepared by the five countries investigating the crash and will be under chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can be enforced militarily.

The Dutch government said it is lobbying its political allies for the establishment of a UN tribunal to prosecute suspects in the downing of the airplane over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Rutte said a UN tribunal would give “the best guarantee of co-operation from all countries” in seeking justice for the families of the 298 victims. “No route is 100% perfect, but this is the route that is by far the most preferred,” Rutte said after a weekly meeting with his centre-right cabinet.

“We also have plan Bs if this approach doesn’t work, both national and international, but this is the route that would be the best. And that’s why we are exploring that possibility first of all.”

Rutte declined to comment on where the court might be located or how it important it would be for Russia to co-operate. It has a veto on the UN Security Council.

Russia has always denied involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are fighting Ukrainian government forces. Moscow has suggested MH17 was downed by a Ukrainian fighter jet and denied a popular theory that the rebels shot it out of the sky with a Russian BUK missile. The Netherlands is leading the criminal investigation, aided by Belgium, Australia, and Ukraine.

A final report on the cause of the crash is due to be released in October by the Dutch Safety Board.