Independence of MH17 investigation crucial: Dutch PM

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Monday emphasised the importance of an independent investigation into the MH17 jet crash in eastern Ukraine.

He made the remarks at a press conference here while responding to the Russian claims that the first preliminary report on the cause of the crash was biased.

Dutch Safety Board led the investigation into the cause of the crash of the Boeing 777-200 operated by Malaysia Airlines July 17 this year.

On Sep 9 the board published its first preliminary report, concluding that the crash was caused by an external factor, probably "as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside".

Noting that "last Friday at the United Nations in New York we have seen that the Russians tried to say the interim-report was biased," he stressed that the report is "completely independent".

"I will make sure that it stays independent and that there will be no political interference with the report. When the results come out it has to be very clear evidence," he said.