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Calls for int'l tribunal on MH17 crash serve needs of Washington: Russian FM

Xinhua, July 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that some countries' calls for the formation of an international criminal tribunal for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 a year ago are aimed at serving the needs of the United States.

Commenting on recent remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Tefft who said in an interview that the U.S. knew who had shot the Malaysian Flight down, Lavrov said the idea to create such a tribunal is aimed at punishing those whom Washington considers to be guilty.

"If they know everything, and the United States has actively supported the idea of tribunal's creation by the UN Security Council ... It turns out that it should guarantee the punishment of those whom Washington considers to be guilty," he was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.

The Russian top diplomat added that Russia wants to wait for the final results of investigation into the crash before proposing to create a tribunal.

The five countries undertaking the independent criminal investigation into the accident, namely Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, on Tuesday asked the UN Security Council to establish an international criminal tribunal to try those responsible for the downing of the passenger jet.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed opposition to the appeal, saying it is "premature and counterproductive," while stressing that the international investigation should be "thorough and objective" and in full compliance with UN Resolution 2166 adopted July 21, 2014 on the initiative of Russia.

The Boeing 777-200ER was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was downed over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Endite