KUALA LUMPUR: Russia is willing to seek a compromise on the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, despite remaining opposed to the setting up of an international tribunal to punish those responsible for the crash.
Russia’s ambassador to Malaysia Valery Yermolov said Russia, which introduced a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, was hoping to combine different approaches put forward by Malaysia and Russia to determine the best way to ensure those behind the crash were held to account.
“We do not insist strictly for our resolution (to be implemented). We are looking for compromise, but we are strictly against the establishment of an international tribunal,” he told a press conference at his residence here today.
Russia’s draft resolution, which called for the UN and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to play a greater role in the crash investigation, was designed to counter another draft resolution proposed by Malaysia and four other countries to set up the international tribunal.
Yermolov said it was important to resolve differences between the two drafts in order to prevent a split within the UNSC and claimed that Malaysian representatives, in closed-door briefings on the issue, had expressed a similar willingness to explore other options besides setting up a tribunal.
“We are ready to start working towards conciliating different approaches of the Malaysian and Russian sides with full understanding of the enormous responsibility in respect of the relatives of the crash victims,” he said.
Yermolov said the establishment of an international tribunal was premature, citing transparency concerns over the way the crash probe was being conducted.
He also claimed that the probe had not complied with UNSC resolution 2166, adopted last year, which expressed support for the "efforts to establish a full, thorough and independent international investigation into the incident” in accordance with ICAO guidelines.
“Russia is interested in a comprehensive, accurate, independent and transparent international investigation of the catastrophe of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
“We do not see this happening at the moment. This is due in part to the fact that Russia has been barred from any substantive participation in the investigation.”
“The involvement of the Russian representative has been purely nominal and has not resulted in his opinion and the data presented by Russia being taken into account.”