By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 20 --
There are now
two draft
resolutions
pending in the
UN Security
Council about
the downing
more than a
year ago of
Flight MH17.
On the first,
some had said
there would be
a July 21 vote
(Inner City
Press never
believed or
reported
that.)
Then
it a July 27
vote date was
reported, with
Dutch NRC
saying the
reason for
delay was
unclear, ignoring
the read-out
of a phone
call of Dutch
Prime Minister
Rutte. On July
20 Inner City
Press asked
the UN
Security
Council
president for
July, New
Zealand's
Gerard von
Bohemen if
there will be
a July 27
vote. It is
not "set in stone,"
he replied. Before
that, von Bohemen
said:
"We
had
consultations
as you know,
this afternoon
on the issue
of MH17 and
what should be
done by way of
follow up to
Resolution
2166 and the
proposal by
Joint
Investigation
Team of
countries who
want an
international
tribunal.
"I think it
was a very
positive
discussion.
There was
strong support
in the room
for the
establishment
of a tribunal.
Russia, of
course, has a
different
perspective on
this and
explained its
resolution and
there were a
number of
countries that
urged the two
key proponents
to come
together and
try to find a
united way
forward.
"Attention was
drawn to the
fact that the
Council
achieved great
unity this
morning for
the Iran
resolution and
that same
spirit, I
think we
should try to
capture in
this exercise.
"Having said
that, I noted,
and so did the
Russian
Federation,
that the issue
of the
tribunal is
the key
deciding
point.
And that’s the
one that we
are going to
grapple with."
Back on July
21, 2014, after
the UN
Security
Council
unanimously
adopted a
resolution to
an independent
international
investigation
of the downing
of Malaysia
Airlines
flight MH17
over Eastern
Ukraine, Inner
City Press
asked
Malaysia's
then Permanent
Representative
to the UN Hussein
Haniff
if there was,
in fact, an
agreement with
the separatist
rebels for
Malaysia to
get the black
boxes. Video
here.
Ambassador
Hussein
Haniff said
yes, “there is
this
understanding
that the black
box will be
handed over to
Malaysia.” He
said, “We have
our people
ready, we hope
this agreement
will be
honored.”
Inner
City Press
asked when the
hand-over is
supposed to
take place.
“Like
around now,”
Ambassador
Hussein Haniff
replied. It
was just past
5 pm in New
York on July
21.
Earlier
on
July 21 at the
US State
Department's
press briefing
in Washington,
Deputy
Spokesperson
Marie Harf was
asked if
Malaysia was
breaking ranks
with other
countries by
making its own
deal with the
rebels, and if
an agreement
with Malaysia
about the
black boxes
and flight
recorders
would give the
separatist
rebels
leadership any
legitimacy.
No,
Harf insisted.
Watch this
site.
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