Moscow expressed on September 4 strong indignation over Dutch foreign minister's remarks on Russia's school hostage-taking crisis that caused at least 322 people dead.

"Moscow is surprised and outraged at Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot's remarks," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin told Russian reporters.

"The remarks made by Mr. Bot completely run counter to that broad international support and solidarity with Russia expressed during these tragic days."

"The inappropriate remarks made by the Dutch minister sound at least odious. But they are more likely to be of a blasphemous nature," he added.

"The facts and the cause-and-effect relationship standing behind what happened in Beslan are obvious to everyone. It is clear to everybody, maybe excluding only the Dutch representative," Loshchinin was quoted by Interfax as saying.

Bot, whose nation is holding the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), on Friday asked the Russian authorities to explain how the tragedy could have happened.

Dutch ambassador to Russia Tiddo Hofstee was summoned to the headquarters of Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

During a meeting with another Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Chizhov, Hofstee was told the Dutch government should clarify Bot's remarks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was on a visit to Egypt, also criticized Bot's statement, describing it as "blasphemous," according to Interfax.

At least 332 people, including 155 children, were killed by terrorists when Russian security forces Friday stormed a school in the town of Beslan in Russia's North Ossetia, where terrorists had held over 1,000 pupils and their parents and teachers hostage since Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua