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UN UKRAINE
STORY: UN / UKRAINE
TRT: 2:46
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTION: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
RECENT
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
29 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, president
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stef Blok, Minister for Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands:
“Last Thursday, the joint investigation team released additional findings based on legally sound and compelling evidence that the Buk missile system which downed MH17 belonged to the 53rd anti-aircraft brigade of the Russian Army. On that basis and motivated by our desire to establish the truth and achieve justice and accountability, Australia and The Netherlands have announced last Friday that we hold the Russian Federation accountable for its part for downing the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.”
6. Wide shot, meeting
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stef Blok, Minister for Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands:
“The Netherlands and Australia now call on the Russian Federation to engage seriously and constructively with us in this matter and accept its responsibility. Along with this, the Russian Federation needs to start cooperating fully with the joint investigation teams in ongoing criminal investigation.”
8. Wide shot, meeting
9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“We reiterate our readiness to extend any kind of assistance to a truly independent and transparent investigation, but we cannot accept the unfounded conclusions of the JIT. Taking to account what poor methods some states are using today, we can trust only those investigations in which Russia is participating.”
10. Wide shot, meeting
11.SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs:
“The United Nations is deeply concerned about the recent deterioration of the situation at the contact line, including in the area around the Donetsk Filtration Station. We join the calls by OSCE Chief Monitor Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan on 18 May and by the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine Ambassador Martin Sajdik on 22 May for an immediate cessation of fighting.”
12. Cutaway, meeting
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs:
“The scale and urgency of needs stemming from the conflict remain immense. There are over half a million civilians living within five kilometres of the Line of Contact, subjected night and day to shelling, gunfire, landmines and unexploded ordnance. Children miss out on vital education. Health problems are worsening, witha increase in cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.”
14. Cutaway, meeting
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine:
“Withdrawal of heavy weapons including from specific sectors in places and starting from the populated areas should be a priority. These deadly weapons often placed in residential areas cause destruction and casualties amongst civilians.”
16. Wide shot, meeting
The Foreign Minister of The Netherlands Stef Blok told today to the United Nations Security Council that “the Buk missile system which downed MH17 belonged to the 53rd anti-aircraft brigade of the Russian Army” – based on “legally sound and compelling evidence” gathered by the Joint Investigation Team.
Blok also said that his country together with Australia “hold the Russian Federation accountable for its part for downing the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.”
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on 17 July 2014 over eastern Ukraine killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew.
The Dutch Minister invited Russia “to engage seriously and constructively with us in this matter and accept its responsibility” by ‘cooperating fully with the joint investigation teams in ongoing criminal investigation.”
In a lengthy statement Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations rejected the finding of the JIT regarding the Russian involvement in the incident and said ‘taking to account what poor methods some states are using today, we can trust only those investigations in which Russia is participating.”
The conflict in the eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian militants and the Ukraine government forces started in February 2014, in the aftermath of the ousting from power then Ukrainian pro-Russian government.
So far, over 2700 civilians have been killed and up to 9000 injured.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Council’s members that “the United Nations is deeply concerned about the recent deterioration of the situation at the contact line, including in the area around the Donetsk Filtration Station. We join the calls by OSCE Chief Monitor Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan on 18 May and by the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine Ambassador Martin Sajdik on 22 May for an immediate cessation of fighting.”
She also said “the scale and urgency of needs stemming from the conflict remain immense. There are over half a million civilians living within five kilometres of the Line of Contact, subjected night and day to shelling, gunfire, landmines and unexploded ordnance. Children miss out on vital education. Health problems are worsening, witha increase in cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.”
In 2015, a Minks Agreement was signed between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany as a way forward in restoring peace in the restive region.
Briefing the Security Council via videolink from Minsk, Belorussia, Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said that since the beginning of the year, his mission has recorded more than 100 000 ceasefire violations.
Apakan said for peace deal to take hold, the priority should be “withdrawal of heavy weapons including from specific sectors in places and starting from the populated areas” adding that “these deadly weapons often placed in residential areas cause destruction and casualties amongst civilians.”
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented one million crossings per month of the contact line. Civilians risk shelling, sniper-fire and landmines as they make the arduous journey through the five official checkpoints where processing times can range from hours, to days.
Over 600,000 people are regularly exposed to hostilities along the contact line. Families live in damp basements, and more than 100,000 children attend schools with windows lined with sand bags. More than 40,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged.
In 2018, humanitarians aim to reach 2.3 million people with vital assistance and protection services, but only 13 per cent of the $187 million needed has been received.
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