US seeks justice at UN for MH17 victims

UNITED STATES: The US envoy to the United Nations called Friday for responsible parties to be “brought to justice” for the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine one year ago.Samantha Power said that the United States “will not rest” until the victims’ relatives “obtain the justice and closure they seek and deserve.”All 298 people onboard MH17 — the majority Dutch — died on July 17 last year when the Malaysia Airlines jet, on a flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over rebel-held east Ukraine during heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists.

Kiev and the West point their finger at the separatists, saying they may have used a Buk surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to down the Boeing 777 plane.

But Moscow denies involvement and instead accuses Ukraine’s military.

In a statement, Power referred to a UN Security Council resolution that members including Russia adopted just after the crash. It called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

However, she stopped short of calling for a UN-backed tribunal to prosecute those responsible.

Britain, France, Malaysia, the Netherlands and others have backed a tribunal, but veto-wielding Security Council member Russia is opposed.

The Netherlands, where most of the victims came from and other countries paid tribute to the victims with memorials Friday.