Letter About the Current State of Affairs with Regard to The
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Letter of 17 December 2014 from the Minister of Security and Justice, Ivo Opstelten, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bert Koenders and Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, to the President of the House of Representatives concerning the current state of affairs with regard to the MH17 disaster We are writing to give you an overview of the current state of affairs with regard to the disaster involving Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. This letter, which is also being sent on behalf of the Prime Minister, will honour the undertakings made at the meeting with the Permanent Committee on Security and Justice of 17 November, specifically: the request for information on the evaluation and the number of aeroplanes and helicopters shot down in Ukrainian airspace before 17 July. It will also address MP Louis Bontes’ request of 9 December for responses to outstanding questions and the request made by the Permanent Committee on Foreign Affairs on 26 November. As you know, our efforts have consistently focused on the three objectives set by the government: 1. repatriating human remains and personal belongings; 2. investigating the circumstances of the crash; 3. conducting a criminal investigation. Interim mission in Kyiv and Kharkiv and efforts in Ukraine As we reported previously, on several occasions in recent weeks – when the security situation and weather conditions allowed it – a small team from the interim mission searched for human remains and victims’ personal belongings. These searches were carried out in the designated areas and in various fire-ravaged sites, with the exception of the northwestern section of the disaster zone. On Sunday 16 November the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force (CJIATF) began recovering parts of the wreckage, at the request of the Dutch Safety Board. Through the mediation of the OSCE and with the help of local authorities and the Ukrainian State Emergency Service (SES), the interim mission recovered wreckage filling twelve rail wagons in six days. On 9 December the first two convoys (eight lorries) carrying pieces of wreckage arrived at Gilze-Rijen Air Base. The third and fourth convoys arrived at Gilze-Rijen on 11 and 12 December, respectively. All the pieces of wreckage that were recovered at the request of the Dutch Safety Board are now in the Netherlands. Some wreckage was left at the crash site, but those pieces are not likely to be relevant to the Dutch Safety Board’s investigation. AVT14/JU113980 1 All wreckage that could subsequently be recovered was transported to and put into storage in Kharkiv on Wednesday 17 December, with the help of the SES. There may still be wreckage in the areas which caught fire after the crash, and possibly more human remains which could help with identification. Investigation of the wreckage at Gilze-Rijen revealed a small amount of human remains, which will be transported to Hilversum with the appropriate honours, for identification. Due to the weather conditions (particularly the frozen ground) the National Forensic Investigation Team (LTFO) cannot do any further forensic investigation in the fire-ravaged areas. This requires excavation work, which is impossible if the ground is frozen. Recovering wreckage from these areas would disrupt the forensic investigation, so it was decided to leave those pieces of wreckage in place for now. The area has been marked, so that the work can continue as soon as the situation allows it. The area north of Petropavlika also contains wreckage, which could not be recovered due to the security situation. The repatriation mission will continue its work after the winter frost period, or earlier if both the weather conditions and the security situation allow it. It has been agreed that the SES will inform the mission immediately if any more human remains or personal belongings are found. Identification process and consular affairs It was announced on 11 December that a total of 294 victims of the MH17 disaster have now been identified. The four unidentified victims all held Dutch nationality. It is possible that remains currently in Hilversum which have not yielded viable DNA profiles may yet provide information which will enable the identification of these victims. It is impossible to say if and when that might happen. On 17 November we received 88 death certificates from Ukraine. They are currently being translated and apostilles are being obtained for legalisation purposes. It is difficult to predict how long this will take, but we hope the death certificates will be issued within a few weeks. On 25 November LTFO issued 11 new Medical Statements, as there had been new identifications. These are being translated into Ukrainian. Security situation in eastern Ukraine The security situation in eastern Ukraine remains fluid and fragile. The fighting continues, with new casualties occurring practically every day. Despite the ceasefire agreed between the Ukrainian authorities and the pro-Russian separatists in early December for parts of AVT14/JU113980 2 eastern Ukraine, both parties continue to strengthen their positions along the line of contact. The fighting has become less intensive since 9 December. It is uncertain whether the ceasefire will hold, given the many violations. Artillery fire and small-scale fighting aimed at improving the warring parties’ military positions continues to be observed around the tactically crucial town of Debaltseve, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the crash site. Over the past few months, Donetsk airport has become a symbol in the struggle between the Ukrainian authorities and the separatists. Shelling has continued on both sides. The fighting around the crash site and Donetsk airport has become less intensive in the past few days. It is likely that neither side has the combat power to force a decisive military victory, but it is expected that both parties will try to improve their positions on the ground. The situation may remain turbulent throughout the winter around the various hotspots (north of Mariupol, Donetsk, Horlivka, Debaltseve, Luhansk). If this situation remains unchanged, there will continue to be a significant threat to Dutch personnel and the mission, in and around the separatist-held area. Alleged attempted attack On 18 November various media reported that an attack on the Dutch delegation visiting Ukraine had been foiled. The reports were based on information from the Ukrainian security service SBU (Sluzhba Bezpeky Ukraiyny). According to SBU, the alleged attack was to have been carried out during the delegation’s visit to the Malyshev factory in Kharkiv, where the recovered remains and belongings of the victims of the MH17 disaster had been brought before being transported to the Netherlands. Violent disruptive activities have been taking place in the region, including at the time of the visit. The attacks that took place in the Kharkiv area were aimed at the local infrastructure or pro-Kyiv targets. In the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting of 4 and 5 December, the Ukrainian foreign minister said that an investigation had been launched into this alleged attempt to attack the Dutch delegation. Winter period During the winter frost period, CJIATF’s interim presence will be reduced in scope. The frozen ground makes it difficult to conduct any investigation and the chances of finding anything are minimal. Representatives of the Dutch National Police and the Ministry of Defence and embassy staff will maintain the necessary contacts with the local authorities AVT14/JU113980 3 from Kyiv. In addition, the Head of Mission, the Special Military Adviser and the commander of CJIATF and his deputy will visit the national and local authorities every six weeks, particularly the Minister of Internal Affairs, the governor of Kharkiv and his specially appointed staff member for the MH17 disaster. There will also be brief monthly inspections of the equipment stored in the hangar at Kharkiv airport. Some of the equipment (mainly vehicles) will remain in Ukraine, so that the repatriation mission can be resumed immediately if necessary, to collect any human remains and personal belongings that may still be found. The local population can also continue to report and hand over any new finds to the Netherlands through the SES. A rapid-response team will be at the ready in the Netherlands to react to any developments in Ukraine. As soon as the situation allows it, a fact-finding mission will be carried out to assess the possibilities of resuming the operation on a small scale in 2015. International contacts and efforts From 5 to 7 November, Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited Malaysia and Australia to discuss the aftermath of the MH17 disaster. He met with the heads of government and with various professionals who have been dealing with the crisis. Malaysia and Australia both expressed their thanks for the way the Netherlands led the repatriation mission and the investigation into the circumstances of the crash, both in the immediate aftermath of the incident and in the following period. It was agreed that the countries would continue their close cooperation. Malaysia said it wanted to be a full member of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), and Mr Rutte promised the Netherlands would endeavour to achieve this. Foreign minister Bert Koenders visited Kharkiv and Kyiv on 7 and 8 November, respectively. In Kharkiv he attended the departure ceremony for the victims’ remains that had recently been found at the crash site and visited the transfer facility with Governor Ihor Baluta. In talks with the Ukrainian prime minister and foreign minister, the importance of a comprehensive and transparent investigation of both the cause of the crash and those responsible for it was emphasised, and Mr Koenders thanked the Ukrainian government for their cooperation so far. The minister also met members of the OSCE mission and thanked them on behalf of the government for facilitating access to the crash site, a message he repeated at the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting of 4 and 5 December.