Poroshenko Signs Laws Allowing Dutch, Australian Police To MH17 Crash Site

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko signed laws ratifying agreements with the Netherlands and Australia, under which their international police mission will be allowed to access the crash site of Malaysian Boeing in Donetsk region, Poroshenko’s website said.

“The documents specify that the agreements that were signed in Kiev on July 24 and 28 will come into force starting the day when these countries receive a diplomatic note from Ukraine,” the statement reads.

According to the new laws, Australia will be able to send military, police and civil personnel to work at the crash site. The Dutch, who lead the investigation, have a right to deploy both military and civil staff from the Netherlands, Australia and other countries that lost their nationals in the tragedy.

Earlier on Monday, Kiev and Amsterdam signed an agreement on an international security mission to assist in the investigation into the circumstances of the plane crash in the country’s eastern region of Donetsk. The mission is to comprise no more than 700 armed personnel, according to the document.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that Australian personnel are not employed by any military units, and its main function is to provide security for the crash site.
Malaysia Airlines MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur went down in Donetsk Region in eastern Ukraine on July 17. All 298 people on board, including 193 Dutch citizens, died in the crash.

The cause of the catastrophe remains unclear, as international experts have been unable to reach the crash site for several days due to heavy fighting between the Ukrainian Army and independence supporters. (Cihan/Ria Novosti)