THE HAGUE, 26/08/06 - India requested an explanation on Friday from the Netherlands ambassador in Delhi of the treatment of the 12 men who were taken off a US aircraft on Wednesday. The Indian junior Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anand Sharma, said that the Netherlands has offered its apologies.

The Dutch ambassador in India had to give a written statement and explanation at the foreign ministry in Delhi about the terrorist alarm last Wednesday, in which the pilot of a Northwest Airlines plane en route to Mumbai decided to return to Amsterdam. Twelve Indian passengers, all Muslims, had to spend two nights in custody, nurturing media speculations on a terrorist threat. But it turned out they had nothing to do with terrorism.

A Dutch foreign ministry spokesman stressed Friday that the ambassador was not summoned by the Indian minister, but that a meeting with a high-ranking civil servant was involved. India particularly wanted to know "what exactly the grounds were for arresting Indian nationals," said the spokesman.

According to Anand Sharma, the Dutch ambassador expressed his regrets on the detention of the 12 Indian passengers. According to the foreign ministry in The Hague, however that has not happened. "The ambassador set out the Dutch position and received a note back with questions, to which the Netherlands will respond as quickly as possible."