July 31, 2015

Dutch PM fails to dissuade Putin

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AMSTERDAM – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made an “urgent” appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin not to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution to create a tribunal for a trial of those suspected of shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. Mr. Rutte’s office said he telephoned Mr. Putin ahead of the vote in New York later on July 29 to seek his backing for setting up the international tribunal and trial over the downing of the Malaysia Airlines jet that killed 298. Malaysia, the Netherlands, Australia, Ukraine and Belgium have called for such a tribunal. Malaysia circulated a draft resolution on the issue with the vote set for July 29 around 3 p.m. local time at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The resolution would require all countries to cooperate with the special tribunal or face sanctions. The Kremlin said Mr. Putin told Mr. Rutte he remains firmly opposed to such a tribunal. Russia later vetoed the resolution. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, TASS and Interfax)

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