Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer...

Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda, for talks regarding the death penalty meted out to Ang Kiem Soel, a Dutch national caught operating two ecstasy plants in the outskirts of Jakarta. "We explained to him that the penalty is consistent with the Indonesian law and he appeared to understand it. On the other hand, we also understand the Dutch government's concern over the capital punishment because it has long been abandoned all over Europe," Wirajuda said following the meeting.