THE HAGUE, April 19 (AFP) - Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok warned Friday that countries that placed their economic interests above questions of human rights would one day have to give an account of themselves.

Kok was speaking after the failure of efforts by The Hague to persuade the European Union to back a joint resolution to the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva condemning China for its human rights record.

Remaining silent "was not the right sort of behaviour," he said at a regular press conference after the weekly cabinet meeting.

"Material interests must not sway our judgement on the human rights policy of a particular country, whatever its size, political influence or economic power," he said.

Kok deplored the splits which had appeared in the EU on the question of China, but he refrained from singling out any member state, and said there was no reason to be discouraged.

"A defendable opinion does not lose its value because other countries do not subscribe to it," he said.

He dismissed criticism by certain Dutch company heads of Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo, who was accused of making rash remarks on the eve of a planned visit to China in June by Economics Minister Hans Wijers.

The trip was subsequently scrapped by Beijing, as was a visit to the Netherlands by China's Vice Prime Minister Zhu Rongji scheduled for late May, in retaliation for The Hague's lobbying in Geneva.

"These criticisms are baseless," Kok said. Mr. van Mierlo acted "with tact and in concert with his European partners," he said, adding that the matter should not be over-dramatised.

France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain failed to back the Netherlands, current head of the European Union, in Geneva. The Hague and other EU members then supported an alternative proposal by Denmark, but China was able to duck censure by successfully putting forward a motion killing a vote.

Zhu cancelled a full four-country European tour which would have taken him to Luxembourg, Ireland and Austria, who all sided with Netherlands.

"The Hague hopes that a dialogue can continue," Dutch foreign ministry spokesman Frits Kemperman said earlier Friday, adding that the Netherlands thought that "an economic dialogue and one on human rights could go hand-in-hand, as has always been the case in the past."