CRI听力:Russia Vetoes Draft UN Resolution over MH17 Tribunal

The resolution had been drafted by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

It sought to set up a special tribunal to try those responsible for shooting down flight MH17 over Ukraine.

In defending the veto, Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin criticized what he said would have been criminal prosecution carried out "in a closed fashion.

"Turning now to criminal prosecutions while it is carried out by the members of the JIT in a closed fashion. It was said that an agreement was reached between five sides on not disseminating information. In this case, what are the grounds to be assured of the impartiality of such an investigation? "

China's UN ambassador Liu Jieyi has said the current focus should be on establishing the truth.

"Under the circumstance where some members of the council still have major concerns on the draft resolution, to forcibly push for a vote will only result in the division among the member states of the Council. This will not help ease the grief of the bereaved families of the victims of the crash of MH17, and will not help establish the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice."

Liu has also stressed that China supports an objective, impartial and independent international investigation into the incident.

Ukraine and the West have pointed the finger at militants in eastern Ukraine, saying they may have used a Buk surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to down the Boeing 777.

Moscow denies involvement and instead accuses Ukraine's military.

Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai says he's disappointed at the vote.

"We are deeply disappointed at the failure to adopt a draft resolution to establish an ad-hoc international tribunal for MH17, despite our persistent effort to address council member concerns and to bridge our differences."

The minister had earlier said a tribunal would be best placed to "deliver justice to the families of the victims."

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was downed over areas controlled by Ukrainian militants in the east during heavy fighting with government forces.

The majority of the 298 people on board killed were Dutch nationals.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.