05 September 2004	Sunday	19 Rajab 1425

MOSCOW, Sept 4: Russia lashed out on Saturday at the European Union (EU)'s Dutch presidency over its call for an explanation about the handling of the school hostage crisis.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot claimed he had been misunderstood in comments, shortly after the bloody end to the standoff on Friday, and promised to clear the matter up with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

"I think my comments, consciously or unconsciously, have been misinterpreted. I think that is a shame," he said, adding that "I will certainly set the record straight with my colleague Lavrov later in the day."

That reaction came after the Russian foreign ministry issued a scorching statement saying: "The inappropriate comments of the Dutch minister are, to say the least, odious, and for the large part deeply offensive." Russia was "bewildered and outraged" by the comments, it added.

In the disputed remarks, made in a written statement, the Dutch minister said: "All countries in the world need to work together to prevent tragedies like this.

"But we also would like to know from the Russian authorities how this tragedy could have happened," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the comments were "insolent". "To put it mildly, the Dutch minister's comments give rise to (Russia's) astonishment."

"The tragedy lasted three days and was broadcast live in full detail by television channels, and it is clear to everyone that it was the terrorists who launched the armed action, while Moscow's first concern was to preserve the lives of the hostages," he said during a visit to Cairo.-AFP