Putin says MH17 tribunal would be counterproductive

File photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: REUTERS/Michael Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin)

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (Jul 17) that establishing an international tribunal to prosecute those behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over rebel-held east Ukraine would be counterproductive.

He made his comments in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, whose citizens made up the majority of the 298 people killed in the July 17 disaster last year.

"Vladimir Putin in detail explained the Russian position regarding the premature and counterproductive nature of an initiative by a number of countries, including the Netherlands, to establish an international tribunal to criminally prosecute individuals responsible for the destruction of the Malaysian airliner," the Kremlin said.

The Netherlands is working with Malaysia, Australia, Belgium, and Ukraine on the creation of an international tribunal for MH17.

A draft UN resolution, obtained by AFP, calls for establishing the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which means that the court's efforts to prosecute those responsible could be enforced by sanctions.

Investigators from the Netherlands are leading an international probe into the downing of the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight and are expected to release a final report in early October.

Ukraine and many in the West have accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane, saying they may have used a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Russia - which wields a UN veto - and the rebels deny any responsibility and have instead pointed the finger at Ukraine's military.

'POLITICISED LEAKS'

In his conversation with Rutte, Putin insisted that all investigations into the disaster should be completed before any decision can be taken on how to try the culprits.

A preliminary report by Dutch investigators in September said the plane was hit by numerous "high-energy objects" but did not apportion blame.

Putin also lashed out at reported leaks from the Dutch investigation as "clearly politicised", after US television channel CNN cited unnamed sources as saying that the report found the rebels responsible.

Oleg Storchevoy, deputy head of Russia's air transport agency Rosaviatsia, said in a briefing on Thursday that he received the draft report from Dutch investigators and that Russian officials "have a lot to say about it". Storchevoy added that he will not make any comments before the report's official publication, however, and refused to take any questions from the press.

He repeated two main theories floated by Russia over the past year, one of which is that the Boeing was shot down by a Buk-M1 surface-to-air system strike and the other that it was hit by an air-to-air rocket launched from a plane.

Additionally, Russia's Investigative Committee and Storchevoy both referred to a report by anonymous "aviation specialists" which was published on social media and concluded that the air-to-air missile was likely an Israeli-made Python.

The 16-page "strictly confidential" report, posted on Russian blogging site Livejournal, makes no mention of its authors or their affiliation, however the files say "Russian Ministry of Defence".

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the crash, Russian state media have criticised the West for alleging Russian involvement before the investigation is complete. The rebels in east Ukraine boast the heavy weaponry of a regular army but Russia denies that it supplies the hardware across the separatist-controlled border.

The West and Russia are locked in their worst standoff since the Cold War over the Ukraine conflict, with the US and EU hitting Moscow with sanctions over its alleged meddling.

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