UN Chief Urges Countries To "fully cooperate" With MH17 Probe

On the third anniversary of the tragic downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17, or MH17, the UN Secretary-General has called on States to "fully cooperate" with an ongoing probe.

The plane was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam on 17 July 2014 when it crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people.

António Guterres said his thoughts were with the families of the victims.

Malaysia Airlines flight 17, also known as MH17, crashed in eastern Ukraine at a time when pro-Russian rebels and government forces were fighting.

An investigation by the Dutch Safety Board confirmed that the plane was hit by a large number of what it called "high energy objects" that penetrated the aircraft from the outside.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement through his Spokesperson on Monday in remembrance of the tragedy.

Taking note of recent developments related to investigation efforts, Mr. Guterres called on States to "cooperate fully" with efforts to establish accountability in line with a UN resolution adopted in 2014 that paved the way for the creation of an independent international investigation.

Deploring the downing of a civilian aircraft, the resolution also demanded that the armed groups in eastern Ukraine allow "safe and unrestricted access" to the crash site.

In July 2015, Russia vetoed another Security Council resolution aiming to establish a tribunal to prosecute people responsible for the shooting of MH17.


Jocelyne Sambira, United Nations/GBC.