MH17 - PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON UKRAINE 18 JULY 2014

PRESS RELEASE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR HUSSEIN HANIFF

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON UKRAINE 18 JULY 2014

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1. Mr. President, At the outset, allow me to congratulate you and the Republic of Rwanda, on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for this month and I thank you for convening this emergency meeting of the Council on Ukraine. I wish to also thank Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, Undersecretary General for Political Affairs for his briefing earlier. For my delegation, the convening of this meeting is indeed timely given the tragic incident involving Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

2. Malaysia is deeply touched by the expressions of condolences, sympathy and support from across the world. At this difficult time, we wish to also express our profound sorrow and convey our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those on board MH17. Mr. President,

3. Malaysia is shocked and distraught by the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. The scheduled flight, which departed Amsterdam yesterday afternoon at Amsterdam local time was expected to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport this morning. Unfortunately, it crashed near the town of Torez in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

4. 298 people perished in the incident. Those who perished were from the Netherlands (189), Malaysia (44), Australia (27), Indonesia (12), United Kingdom (9), Germany (4), Belgium (4), Philippines (3), Canada (1), New Zealand (1) and 4 passengers whose nationalities have yet to be verified.

5. The Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur route which regularly crossed Ukrainian airspace was one of the most popular routes for the airline. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), at the time when contact with MH17 was lost, the aircraft was flying over non-restricted airspace. Furthermore, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had declared the flight path to be safe. Malaysia Airlines also confirmed that the aircraft did not make any distress calls.

6. The Government of Malaysia has taken immediate action to despatch a Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to Kiev comprising personnel from SMART team, the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Malaysia Airlines, Department of Civil Aviation as well as medical staff. In addition, 40 Malaysia Airlines staff have been despatched to Amsterdam to support the family and next of kin of the victims. In this connection, Malaysia welcomes the pledges of support and assistance made by other countries to aid the search, rescue, recovery and investigation efforts. Mr. President,

7. Yesterday, Prime Minister Najib had spoken to President Poroshenko of Ukraine, Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands, President Obama of the United States and President Putin of Russia. In those conversations, Prime Minister Najib had stressed that if indeed MH17 had been shot down, the perpetrators must be swiftly brought to justice. Malaysia strongly condemns any such action in the strongest possible term as it would be a flagrant violation of international law and an outrage against human decency.

8. Malaysia demands a full, independent and transparent international investigation into the incident involving the relevant international authorities, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). I wish to inform the meeting that Malaysia has been formally invited by the Ukraine authorities to take part in the investigation and will be sending two representatives to Kiev as soon as possible.

9. We urge the parties in conflict in the area of the crash site to provide their fullest cooperation. Such cooperation also entails facilitating the safe and unhindered access for the investigation and humanitarian personnel to carry out their mission including collecting the relevant data, evidence, remains and personal effects of the victims.

10. We wish to underscore that there must be no interference at the crash site or movement of debris from the area, including the flight data recorder or black box. The integrity of the crash site must be preserved. Malaysia also urges the Security Council to undertake the necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian and investigative personnel in the crash site in order for them to discharge their duties and responsibilities. Mr. President,

11. Further facts remain unknown at this point. But the fact that the plane might have been shot down has made the matter even more painful for us. Again, this is a grave reminder of how escalation of dispute and threat to international peace and security could claim innocent lives in a most tragic and senseless manner.

12. In this regard, we urge the Security Council to step up its role in facilitating a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine with a view to preventing the recurrence of such a tragic incident.

13. In concluding, Mr. President, on behalf of the Government and people of Malaysia, I wish to reiterate our deep appreciation for all the expressions of support, sympathy and solidarity in this difficult and trying time. I thank you Mr. President.

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