International investigators reach MH17 crash site in Ukraine

News reports on the 31 July 2014 reported that international forensic scientists had reached the site of the 17 July 2014 flight MH17 crash in east Ukraine after the Ukrainian government halted military operations.

Australian and Dutch police experts arrived in a convoy of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors. Russian aviation experts were also in Ukraine.

News sources also reported other parallel developments on the situation in Ukraine:

In other developments

+ Ukraine's parliament had backed the potential deployment of up to 950 Dutch and Australian 'armed personnel' at the crash site
+ The Ukrainian The parliament rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk after the recent collapse of his coalition
+ A new round of EU sanctions was revealed on the 31 July 2014 following similar action by the US.
+ Separatist rebels were reportedly due to meet a Ukrainian delegation in Minsk on the 1 August 2014, as Belarus hosted talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE

• Primary Source

OSCE: Newsroom: Press Statement by the Trilateral Contact Group, 31 July 2014 http://www.osce.org/home/122142

BBC News, 31.07.14: Ukraine MH17: Forensic scientists reach jet crash site http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28581722

ESO: Key Source: Euromaidan - Protests in Ukraine 2013 - 2015 - Key source http://www.europeansources.info/record/euromaidan-protests-in-ukraine-2013-2015/

Euronews, 31.07.14: Ukrainian prime minister’s triumphant speech after resignation rejected http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/31/ukrainian-prime-minister-s-triumphant-speech-after-resignation-rejected/

Council of the European Union: Press Release, PRES/14/437: Adoption of agreed restrictive measures in view of Russia's role in Eastern Ukraine http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/144205.pdf

RIA Novosti, 01.08.14: Poroshenko Signs Laws Allowing Dutch, Australian Police Access to MH17 Crash Site http://en.ria.ru/world/20140801/191556022/Poroshenko-Signs-Laws-Allowing-Dutch-Australian-Police-Access-to.html

Spiegel Online International, 30.07.14: Europe's Ground Zero: Fairy Tales and Fabrications in Eastern Ukraine http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/a-trip-to-the-site-of-the-crash-of-flight-mh-17-a-983268.html

Deutsche Welle, 01.08.14: Abbott: more remains found at MH17 crash site http://dw.de/p/1CnBh

Der Standard, 01.08.14: Chaos in Ukrainian politics (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE147870-Chaos-in-Ukrainian-politics?EURO=19a9b83102eaf675792d01526d795cda

Blog: EP: EPRS, 08.08.14: MH17 aircraft disaster and EU reaction on Russia’s role in eastern Ukraine http://epthinktank.eu/2014/08/08/mh17-aircraft-disaster-and-eu-reaction-on-russias-role-in-eastern-ukraine/

BBC News, 17.08.14: MH17: Netherlands wrestles with huge criminal case http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28808832

BBC News: Tag: MH17 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-28366904

ESO: Background information: The Dutch and MH17 National heartbreak http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-dutch-and-mh17-national-heartbreak/

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