Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crash site — RT News

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/12/2019 Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crash site RT News

    1/5

    Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crashsite RT News

    Published time: July 29, 2014 12:47

    Edited time: July 29, 2014 17:27

    Investigators work at a the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), some 80km east of Donetsk (AFP Photo / Bulent Kiic)

    The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has called Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to ask government forces to stop fighting around the Malaysia Airlines crash site after experts were unableto get there for a third day running.

    Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in Ukraine LIVE UPDATES

    "The prime minister this morning called the Ukrainian president with a request to halt hostilitiesaround the crash site," Jean Fransman, a spokesman for the Dutch PM, told AFP. "Rutte expressedhis concern about the fact it appeared the investigators may today yet again not reach the site."

    The Dutch Ministry for Security and Justice confirmed that the team of forensic experts and policeofficers from the Netherlands and Australia had not even attempted to try and reach the place wherethe Boeing 777 was downed due to heavy fighting in the vicinity. This is the third day they have been

    http://rt.com/news/173628-malaysian-plane-crash-ukraine/http://rt.com/news/173628-malaysian-plane-crash-ukraine/
  • 8/12/2019 Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crash site RT News

    2/5

    prevented from reaching the site due to the conflict.

    The Australian Federal Police again deemed the situation too risky without firm commitments fromopposing Ukrainian and anti-government forces which would guarantee the investigators' safepassage to the area.

    Kiev says rocket blast downed MH17, Dutch probe says info 'premature'

    Special envoy Angus Houston said there was a lot of fighting just south of the MH17 crash site andthe situation remained "very fluid, very dynamic."

    "You just have to accept the fact that you don't go into a fast-moving conflict with a mission likeours," The Australian newspaper reported him as saying.

    Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have been trying tonegotiate the investigators' passage to the crash site from the city, which is encircled by Ukrainiantroops, but the message to let them pass has not been heeded by Ukraine government forces.

    Heavy fighting in E. Ukraine prevents experts from visiting MH17 crash site

    http://rt.com/news/176136-mh17-crash-rocket-ukraine/http://rt.com/news/175976-ukraine-mh17-malaysia-fighting/http://rt.com/news/175976-ukraine-mh17-malaysia-fighting/http://rt.com/news/176136-mh17-crash-rocket-ukraine/
  • 8/12/2019 Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crash site RT News

    3/5

    Anti-government forces have repeatedly tried to escort the unarmed investigators in a convoy to the

    crash site, but each time have found the situation too risky to push on.

    Australian PM Tony Abbott, who met with his Cabinet's National Security Committee in Canberra onTuesday, said it was a "confused situation on the ground.''

    "There is fighting and it's not just the anti-government forces, it's the Ukrainian government aswell,'' Abbott said.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a telephone conversation with US State Secretary JohnKerry on Tuesday urged Washington to influence Kiev to achieve a prompt ceasefire and to startnegotiations with southeast Ukraine.

  • 8/12/2019 Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crash site RT News

    4/5

    Lavrov stressed the need to return to the accord achieved at Geneva on July 17, including an end tothe use of force and to promptly start an open and accountable process of constitutional reforminvolving all regions of Ukraine.

    The two diplomats also agreed to implement the UNSC resolution which demands the provision of aninternational and independent investigation into the causes of the MH17 disaster and a ceasefire inthe region surrounding the crash site.

    Putin: West should demand Kiev obey ceasefire during plane crash probe

    Poroshenko ordered a ceasefire within a radius of 40 kilometers of the crash; however, this wasbroken a week ago, when the Ukrainian Air Force carried out a missile strike 30 kilometers from theMH17 crash site.

    The Ukrainian government hopes to be allowed to visit the Malaysian Airlines crash site in the nextfew days or hours, said the acting vice Prime Minister, Vladimir Groisman, who is leading aUkrainian state commission to find out the causes of the plane crash.

    "We have reason to believe that there are some bodies remaining, where the plane came down," hetold journalists on Tuesday. He also added that a plan had been drawn-up, which would see thearmed forces enter the territory where the MH17 plane was downed. "I hope in the next few hoursor days there will be positive results," Groisman said.

    Intl. teams find 'no violations' by Russia along Ukrainian border

    http://rt.com/news/174652-ukraine-plane-crash-ceasefire/http://rt.com/news/174616-ukraine-airstrike-crash-site/http://rt.com/news/175944-russia-ukraine-border-inspection/http://rt.com/news/175944-russia-ukraine-border-inspection/http://rt.com/news/174616-ukraine-airstrike-crash-site/http://rt.com/news/174652-ukraine-plane-crash-ceasefire/
  • 8/12/2019 Dutch PM tells Ukraine to stop fighting near MH17 crash site RT News

    5/5

    All efforts to visit the wreckage will be suspended while negotiations continue to secure safe access

    to the site.

    "The mission will again attempt to enter the crash site when suitable arrangements are in place toprovide an appropriately secure area for officers to begin the search for the remains and belongingsof victims," the investigation team added, AFP reported.

    There is clear frustration on behalf of the Australians and Dutch, who are desperate to get to the siteas soon as possible.

    Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, speaking before holding more talks with the Ukrainian

    government in Kiev, said investigators remained undeterred and would continue to seek access tothe site until the job of retrieving bodies and carrying out a thorough investigation was completed.

    "We are assessing the situation, day by day, hour by hour, and won't take any unacceptable risks,"she added.

    Air Chief Marshal Houston added: "As soon as a window of opportunity opens we are going to go inthere and get out quickly again, hopefully in a matter of two to three weeks.''

    There are still human remains and important forensic information to be retrieved from the areawhere the Boeing 777 was brought down 11 days ago with the loss of 298 people. 282 bodies havealready been found, while on Monday, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stated thatthey are still looking for 16 bodies, which have not been recovered following the accident.

    http://rt.com/news/176408-mh17-clashes-inspectors-ukraine/

    http://rt.com/news/176408-mh17-clashes-inspectors-ukraine/http://rt.com/news/176408-mh17-clashes-inspectors-ukraine/