"Moments ago, President Yudhoyono had received a telephone call from King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. During the conversation for about 10 minutes, the two heads of state had exchanged condolences over the victims of the MH17 crash," presidential special aide for international affairs Teuku Faizasyah said in a text message to Antara.
A number of citizens of Indonesia and the Netherlands were among the passengers on board the plane that had crashed after being shot down by a missile, adding that the Dutch passengers were on their way to visit Indonesia.
Faizasyah said the king expressed hope that he could meet with President Yudhoyono when he visits Indonesia later in his capacity as a Dutch king, although a new president will have assumed office following the election on July 9.
President Yudhoyono conveyed his regards to Queen Maxima, he said.
"President SBY has known Queen Maxima personally (the wife of King Willem). He had met her while leading the High Level Panel Post 2015 Development Agenda meeting, which was attended by the queen in her capacity as the UN special envoy for financial inclusion issue," Faizasyah said.
A team of Dutch investigators on Monday had examined the bodies that had been retrieved from the crash scene of MH17 aircraft and kept in a train under the supervision of Ukraine rebels, according to AFP.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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