Press Interpreter - Dutch

Bos: CDA Puts Religious Tolerance at Risk

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 17:00:34 -0700

06/01/06 -- Labour Party leader Bos thinks the Christian-Democratic CDA puts the relationship between the secular majority and religious minorities in our society at risk.

He attributes this to internal division among the Christian-Democrats in the integration debate and Islamophobia on the part of parliamentary CDA-leader Verhagen.

Free String for Unemployed Women in Dutch Town of Enschede

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 13:30:05 -0700

10/17/05 -- By distributing free strings, the City Party of Enschede tries to hook up unemployed women with single men.

The initiative is a playful reaction at plans of the local Liberal Party VVD to hook up unemployed women with single men with the help of the city, in order for them not to be dependent on unemployment benefits any longer.

Dutch Princess Irene Urges West to Negotiate with Al Qaeda

Sat, 08 Oct 2005 09:40:59 -0700

10/08/05 –- The conflict between Al Qaeda and the West should be solved by peace negotiations under the auspices of an independent mediator, says Dutch princess Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld.

“Western heads of state must take steps. They should talk to Al Qaeda and, in so doing, demonstrate that they can break through the classic enemy image with open talks�?, says Irene, thereby distancing herself from the tough talk on the eradication of terrorism used this week by U.S. President Bush.

Is Holland becoming Europe’s New York or Europe’s L.A.?

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 21:15:55 -0700

09/23/05 -- In an attempt at bringing a halt to the plaintive mood in the Dutch nation, the leader of the Dutch Liberal Party (VVD), Mr. Van Aartsen, drew an outline of the Netherlands as ‘Europe’s New York’. In a number of respects an attractive perspective: a sparkling metropolis, with Rotterdam and Amsterdam as leading centers of trade and culture, Holland’s Green Heart as a green lung comparable to Central Park, and with a fast subway connection between the four major Dutch cities that puts an end to traffic jams.