Dutch cabinet holds out after crisis talks

The Hague, Nov 16 (IANS) Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof's cabinet avoided collapse following hours of crisis talks in response to the resignation of State Secretary for Finance Nora Achahbar, local media said.

Achahbar, a member of the New Social Contract (NSC) party, resigned on Friday night in protest over some politicians' alleged racist comments regarding recent violence involving Israeli football fans. Her resignation, if followed by others from the NSC party, could threaten the governing coalition's majority, reports Xinhua news agency.

Leaders from all four coalition parties -- the Party for Freedom, the NSC, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Farmer-Citizen Movement, attended the crisis talks at the prime minister's official residence. The NSC, in time, opted to remain in the coalition, averting a government collapse.

The violence occurred during a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam on November 7, when Maccabi supporters, some involved in rioting, were attacked in what Schoof condemned as "anti-Semitic" violence.

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