Putin, Dutch PM discuss human rights, pedophilia
AMSTERDAM. April 8 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte raised human rights issues during talks in Amsterdam.
"It was absolutely in the spirit of our warm dialogue and friendship between Russia and the Netherlands to discuss issues such as human rights and concerns that exist in that respect," Rutte said at a joint news conference with Putin in Amsterdam.
"Of course, it has to be admitted that we may have different ideas on various points," the Dutch prime minister said.
Putin claimed that in the Netherlands there exists a political party that propagandizes pedophilia. "I can hardly imagine any court in Moscow allowing the existence of an organization that propagandizes pedophilia. In Holland, this is possible. There is such an organization," he said.
He could also hardly imagine, he went on, the existence of a party in the Russian parliament advocating barring women from politics. "But here there is such a party," he said.
Rutte objected that propaganda of pedophilia is banned in his country. "We have had a large-scale debate on human rights. It's no secret that we have reached some agreements, but nevertheless pedophilia is banned and is against the law in the Netherlands. I think there must be no misunderstanding on this point," he said.