In an unscheduled stop at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Washington D.C. Tuesday, President Barack Obama offered his "deepest condolences" on behalf of the American people in the wake of the Malaysian Airlines crash that killed almost 200 Dutch nationals. After being greeted by Peter Mollema, Deputy Chief of Mission of the embassy, the president signed a condolence book and spoke briefly to reporters.
"Obviously we're all heartbroken by what's happened, and this is an opportunity for me to extend on behalf of all the American people, our deepest condolences over the loss of family and friends to express our solidarity with the people of Netherlands with whom we've been friends and had the deepest ties for centuries," Obama said. He added that his visit to the embassy also served "to assure the Dutch people that we will work with them to make sure that loved ones are recovered, that a proper investigation is conducted and that ultimately justice is done."