Reuters, 20/07 22:24 CET
By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS
(Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council is considering a draft resolution
to condemn the shooting down of a Malaysian passenger plane in Ukraine,
demand armed groups allow access to the crash site, and call on states
in the region to cooperate with an investigation.
Australia – which lost 28 citizens – circulated a draft
text, seen by Reuters, to the 15-member Security Council late on
Saturday and U.N. diplomats said it could be put to a vote as early as
Monday.
The draft resolution “condemns in the strongest terms the
shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 … resulting in the
tragic loss of 298 lives” on Thursday and demands those responsible “be
held to account and that all states cooperate fully with efforts to
establish accountability.”
It “expresses grave concern at reports of insufficient
and limited access to the crash site and of tampering with evidence
related to the incident” and demands “armed groups in control of the
crash site and the surrounding area refrain from any actions that may
compromise the integrity of the crash site and immediately provide safe,
secure, full and unfettered access.”
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Moscow of fueling
a pro-Russian uprising that threatens to break up the former Soviet
republic of 46 million people. Russia denies orchestrating the unrest
and says Ukraine’s attempts to end it by military force are making the
situation worse.
Moscow denies any involvement in shooting down the
airliner and has blamed the Ukrainian military. U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry put forward on Sunday the most detailed accusations so far
that Russia provided insurgents with the sophisticated anti-aircraft
systems used to down the aircraft.
Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant posted on
Twitter on Sunday: “Investigators must have immediate full access to
MH17 crash site, and bodies treated with dignity. Will move ahead with
Security Council resolution in next 24 hours.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the pro-Moscow
rebels in eastern Ukraine to cooperate and insisted that an
international investigation must not leap to conclusions.
Russia proposed amendments to the draft Security Council
resolution on Sunday, seen by Reuters, which include removing references
to armed groups and tampering with evidence. It also puts in place a
caveat – the resolution would condemn the “apparent” shooting down of
the plane.
Moscow also wants to add a demand that “all military
activities be immediately ceased in the areas surrounding the crash site
to allow for security and safety of the international investigation.”
International monitors from the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe visited part of the crash site for a third
day on Sunday. They said on Saturday that gunmen had stopped them
approaching some of the wreckage.
The draft U.N. resolution “calls on all states and actors
in the region to cooperate fully in relation to the international
investigation of the incident, including with respect to immediate
access to the crash site.”
Russia’s U.N. mission declined to comment on the draft Security Council resolution.
French U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud posted on Twitter on Sunday: “We have to act quickly before the evidence is destroyed. The UNSC should vote on the Australian draft resolution quickly. Tomorrow at the latest.”
The Security Council issued a statement on Friday calling
for a “full, thorough and independent international investigation,”
access to the site and appropriate accountability. Britain drafted the
text and hoped the council could issue it on Thursday but Russia
requested more time.
The Australian-drafted resolution “supports efforts to
establish a full, thorough and independent international investigation
into the incident in accordance with international civil aviation
guidelines.”
It also “insists that the bodies of the victims are treated in a dignified, respectful and professional manner.”
(Editing by Robert Birsel and Andrea Ricci)
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