Five nations, including Malaysia, to join forces to secure MH17 crash site
The Malaysian Insider – Fri, Jul 25, 2014RELATED CONTENT
- Five nations, including Malaysia, to join forces to secure MH17 crash site
Five countries, called the "coalition of the grieving”, are expected to bring in forces to secure the 50-square-kilometre site in eastern Ukraine where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed, the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported.
The report said the Netherlands, which lost 193 of its people in the tragedy, is expected to lead the multinational force, while Australia could be in the deputy position.
Other nations expected to join the coalition are Malaysia, Germany and Britain. Malaysia lost 43 nationals in the crash while Britain lost 10 and Germany 4.
The report also said that Dutch and Australian security forces had worked "closely together" in Afghanistan while Germany and Britain are said to be in discussions about the force to be sent to the site, which is controlled by pro-Russian rebels.
SMH reported that Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is in Ukraine, working on a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine and the Dutch that would allow a multinational force to secure the site.
The force, the report said, is being assembled together with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which already has people at the crash site.
The US was prepared to join in if asked but SMH said the Dutch and Australian forces have decided not to ask for its contribution.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that 50 personnel from the federal police have been pre-deployed to London, expecting to be sent to the crash site as part of a UN-authorised force.
Australia, SMH said, was also working to negotiate terms with Kiev, Moscow and the self-proclaimed government in Donetsk to ensure a safe passage to deploy officers.
Abbott was quoted as saying that he would be "very careful" about putting any Australian in harm's way but added that the crash site had become more "permissive" in recent days as European officials are now able to visit the site.
"On the site, it is still clear that nothing is happening without the approval of the armed rebels," Abbott was reported as saying.
"President Putin gave me assurances that he wanted to see the families of the victims satisfied. He wanted to see, as a father himself, grieving families given closure. So far he has been as good as his word."
The Dutch, local dailies reported, were considering sending military police as well as an air brigade to secure the site. – July 25, 2014.
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