Netherlands apologizes for role in historic slave trade

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte delivered a speech formally apologizing for his country's historical role in slavery and its consequences into the present day.

"Today on behalf of the Dutch government, I apologize for the past actions of the Dutch state," Rutte said in a speech.

"For centuries the Dutch state and its representatives have enabled and stimulated slavery and have profited from it. It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery ... (however) the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants," he added.

He also said that slavery must be recognized in "the clearest terms" as "a crime against humanity."

According to Rutte, the government will establish a fund for initiatives that will help tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies.