Dutch PM Vows Justice 'if Malaysia Plane Attacked', Kuala Lumpur Urges Accountability
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday vowed "not to rest" in tracking down those responsible for downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 if it emerges it was attacked, as Malaysia's premier demanded that the possible perpetrators be brought to justice.
The Netherlands has dispatched Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans and a team of forensic experts to Ukraine to probe the disaster, in which 189 Dutch citizens died.
A total of 298 people were killed in Thursday's crash, many of them holiday-makers bound for destinations in Asia or scientists on their way to Melbourne for the 20th International Aids Conference.
"Let me be crystal-clear about this," a visibly angry Rutte told reporters in The Hague.
"Should it emerge that it was an attack, I will personally see to it that the perpetrators are brought to justice."
"We will not rest until they have been brought to book," said Rutte, adding: "We owe it to the victims and their families."
The Dutch prime minister said he had spoken to a number of world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, about the incident "and just a short while ago by telephone to (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin."
"He too assured me that Russia insists on a complete, international and independent investigation," Rutte said.
A Dutch team of forensic investigators left for Ukraine with Timmermans on Friday evening, a ministry spokesman told Agence France-Presse shortly after 1700 GMT.
Earlier the foreign minister said he would accompany the team to "negotiate free access to the area in order for the experts to do their jobs".
The crash is the Netherlands' second-worst air disaster to date.
The worst was in 1977 when 238 Dutch citizens died at Tenerife in the Canary Islands when two Boeing 747s collided, killing 582 people.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak demanded late Friday that the perpetrators be brought to justice if it is proven that MH17 was shot down in east Ukraine.
"If evidence shows the plane was shot down, then we demand the responsible party to be brought to face justice," he said in a live address on national television.
Najib Razak refused to pinpoint blame for the tragedy which claimed 298 lives, 43 of whom were Malaysians.
But he condemned "in the strongest manner" what he described as an "inhumane, uncivilized, violent and irresponsible act."
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 came down in cornfields in a separatist-held region, with the United States claiming it was shot down in a missile attack, a possible casualty of Ukraine's battle with pro-Russian rebels
The crash was yet another blow for Malaysia which has been left reeling by its second major air disaster to hit their national carrier this year.
In March, Flight MH370 went missing with 239 passengers and crew on board and is now believed to have diverted off its flight path and crashed in the remote Indian Ocean.
Global shock and outrage mounted Friday over the latest tragedy as questions swirled as to who was responsible.
Kiev accused pro-Russian separatists battling Ukrainian forces of committing a "terrorist act" as stunned world leaders urged a full investigation into the disaster, which could further fan the flames of Russia's confrontation with Ukraine, the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.
The United States demanded an "unimpeded" international inquiry into the tragedy amid concerns the crash site was vulnerable to evidence tampering among scattered debris.
It rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's charge that Ukraine's crackdown on separatist rebels stoked tensions that led to the crash.
Najib said the demand for justice had been made known to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon along with calls that parties involved ensure the safe passage of rescue workers and that the crash site is undisturbed to allow for a transparent and effective investigation.
He said that he has also asked Putin to offer full cooperation to achieve these demands.
The Malaysian leader added that an emergency sitting of Parliament would be held to reflect the seriousness of Malaysia's people "to condemn the inhumane act."
Source: Agence France Presse
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