Julie Bishop meets with Vladimir Putin. Photo: Supplied
Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister has buttonholed – not shirt-fronted – Vladimir Putin, and won from him a promise to help international forensic teams regain access to the MH17 crash site.
The Netherlands-based experts identifying MH17 tragedy victims urgently need one more visit to the crash site in eastern Ukraine before winter sets in, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop says.
However when she raised the matter directly with Russia’s Foreign Minister, in the sidelines of a summit in Milan on Thursday, she was met with frustrating disinterest.
On Friday morning Ms Bishop again pushed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a 25-minute one-one-one chat that also covered the upcoming G20 meeting in Brisbane, and the ISIL threat.
During the conversation, Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media, Mr Putin agreed to use his influence on the rebels in eastern Ukraine, to help teams return to the crash site.
He also agreed to co-operate fully with the investigation into the causes of the crash.
When a small international team of observers approached the crash site earlier this week they were met with gunfire, according to reports.
Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media there was a new urgency to the investigation.
“The Dutch, Malaysian and Australian authorities believe that one more visit to the site would be appropriate,” she said.
“But it is still not safe to do so. There was meant to be a ceasefire in place but there is not evidence of that on the ground, I don’t believe that the ceasefire is holding and the latest advice we have is that it is still not safe for our representatives to go back on the crash site.
“The difficulty is that winter is setting in and there is some urgency about it.”
The sunflowers that covered the MH17 crash site in summer have died away, revealing fields still littered with debris and, it is believed, some human remains.
But freezing temperatures and snow typical to an eastern Ukraine winter are only weeks away, and the site is still dangerous to approach despite the frail ceasefire between Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists who control the region.
“We want to ensure that we do everything we can to ensure that the remains of all of the Australian citizens aboard that flight are brought back to Australia,” Ms Bishop said.
Ms Bishop conveyed that urgency to Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, in the wings of the ASEM summit in Milan, saying Russia must use its influence over the Russian-backed separatists to enable access to the site “as soon as possible”.
“He said it was a matter for Ukraine,” she said.
“It is very frustrating but it has been very frustrating throughout… on the ground in eastern Ukraine the rebels from time to time have prevented access to the site, so what Russia says in the international arena is not always carried through on the ground.”
Mr Putin was also at the summit on his first trip inside Europe’s borders since July, when flight MH17 was shot down by a missile that evidence suggests was supplied by Russia and fired by Russia-backed militants, killing 298 people including 38 Australians.
Mr Putin met with a small group of European leaders including Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko at breakfast in Milan on Friday.
After the meeting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Europe was seeking a “step to change” in the Ukraine crisis.
The breakfast had been constructive but big differences remained, he said.
European countries including France, Germany and Italy had offered to help secure Ukraine’s border.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Mr Putin had “said very clearly he doesn’t want a frozen conflict, he doesn’t want a divided Ukraine”.
In that case he had to get Russian troops and heavy weapons out of Ukraine, and recognise the result of next weeks’ parliamentary elections.
Mr Cameron also called for countries other than the US, the UK and France to do more to tackle the Ebola crisis at its source in Africa.
Ebola was the “biggest health crisis facing our world in a generation,” Mr Cameron said, and “taking action in Africa is the best way to protect us here in Europe.”
The UK had committed £100m in Sierra Leone for training health staff, and providing medical equipment and beds.
“It is time for other countries to look at their responsibilities and act in a similar ways… other countries need to step forward,” Mr Cameron said.
The Abbott government has decided not to send medical personnel to west Africa to help with the Ebola crisis. It pledged $10 million to a rapid response UN fund to tackle the outbreak.
Ms Bishop defended Australia’s response. She said Australia did not have the military capability to evacuate an Ebola sufferer – the 30-hour flight time was “clinically impossible” and no other country had guaranteed to take and treat an infected Australian health worker.
“What we are doing is providing funding for the frontline services and we have over many years provided substantial funding to the WHO [World Health Organisation],” she said.
“The UN asked for money and we immediately came up with an additional $10 million and we received thanks and praise from the UN; they said that was exactly the kind of response they wanted, not a pledge but actual money which we have provided.”
She had spoken to a number of leaders at the summit about Ebola and their countries’ contribution, and Australia’s policy was constantly under review, Ms Bishop said.
Australia has plans to react if Ebola reaches the country or the region.
“Particularly if it came to the Pacific we would consider it Australia’s primary responsibility to respond,” she said.
source: smh.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 