Dutch premier, Russian president discuss setup of UN MH 17 tribunal

A relative of an Australian victim of Malaysia Airlines jet MH17 reacts before placing a floral tribute at a memorial that was unveiled outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, July 17, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

THE HAGUE - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday morning about the setup of a special United Nations (UN) tribunal for the prosecution of those responsible for the crash of flight MH17, the Dutch government press office told Xinhua.

The Malaysia Airlines plane was brought down on July 17, 2014 when it was flying over the warzone in east Ukraine en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board, 196 of whom were Dutch.

Immediately following the tragedy involving the commercial airline, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that those suspected of bringing down flight MH17 should be prosecuted.

Rutte spoke with Putin about "the effort of the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Belgium and Ukraine for the creation of a special UN tribunal for the prosecution of possible suspects following the disaster of MH17," the press officer told Xinhua.