Ugh. This is fucking stupid. "This" being our foreign minister, who is currently in the Ukraine and trying to act tough.
So for those who weren't aware (ie: most of the world) some Australian Federal Police guys were sent to Ukraine the other day. The idea was that they and some Dutch guys would do a purely humanitarian mission, totally unarmed, to pick up the rest of the bodies (and bits) from the crash site. This was agreed with both the Ukrainian government and the separatists, and there was supposed to be a ceasefire in the area while this was done.
Since then, the place has been a war zone. Funny, that. Anyone might think there was a war on. So, instead of just saying "Shit happens" and waiting for things to improve, our foreign minister has been trying to get the Ukraine parliament
to authorise arming the AFP guys when they go into the crash area.
Indeed, the AFP's Ukrainian hosts stand in breach of a cardinal provision of SC/2166, "that all military activities, including by armed groups, be immediately ceased in the immediate area surrounding the crash site to allow for security and safety of the international investigation".
This puts Bishop, now back in Kiev, and Australia in an awkward situation. Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has every right to feel put upon by Australia's SC/2166: though welcome when it comes to the rebels, it's an obvious burden when it curtails the army's ability to suppress a rebellion on national territory. Certainly, it's a concession of sovereign rights it's hard to imagine any Australian government being prepared to make.
To fix the situation but in reality probably making it worse, Bishop wants Ukraine's parliament (which has not yet approved the Dutch-Australian mission) to approve the arming of the policemen Australia has deployed on its territory.
Yet the only thing worse than having unarmed personnel deployed in this particular warzone on the other side of the world is armed ones.
There are two simple reasons.
First, the Netherlands is a NATO country. Second, Australia is an American treaty ally.
Bishop will have to be very confident that both the Kremlin and the rebels will distinguish the inoffensive purposes of armed Australian personnel as clearly as we do.
That can't be taken for granted.
Sending them in armed would be totally retarded and irresponsible. The idea is to retrieve bodies, not to create more bodies. If they are not armed there's a far greater chance of them getting out alive, since that way both sides are more likely to recognise them as genuine non-combatants. Things are tricky enough over there as it is, without sending in armed representatives of foreign powers who aren't involved and don't really give a fuck. No way would that make the locals happy.
Topic: Malaysian airliner 'shot down' in Ukraine, 295 dead says news..