South Asian leaders urge Iraq peace

Mr Vajpayee fears a war will send oil prices soaring

South Asian leaders on Tuesday called for a peaceful resolution to the Iraq crisis, urging restraint on the United States.

They were responding to Monday's report by UN weapons inspector Hans Blix that said Iraq was defying international demands to disarm.

The super power should exercise super restraint

Atal Behari Vajpayee

The report sparked fresh threats from the US and Britain that war was likely unless Iraq disarmed fully.

The Pakistani, Indian and Sri Lankan leaderships all said that war was not the solution to the crisis.

'Last resort'

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee urged Washington to ease off.

"The super power should exercise super restraint," he said.

Mr Jamali (left) in Kuwait on his Gulf tour for peace

"Certain countries in Europe, too, do not want war. Iraq also does not want war."

Mr Vajpayee feared a conflict would harm the world economy, sending oil prices soaring - a particular concern for India, which imports 70% of its oil.

Pakistan is currently a member of the UN Security Council.

Its Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, said war should only ever be a last resort.

Mr Jamali is touring five Gulf states this week to discuss ways of avoiding a conflict.

"In the 21st century, you don't go for wars. War is the last resort. Diplomacy is the first," he said.

'No proof'

A far stronger line was taken by Pakistan's Islamist politicians, who said the UN report had quashed any legal or moral grounds for a war against Iraq.

"Stop beating war drums," Mr Rehman told the US

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal alliance of religious parties urged the United Nations to prevent military action threatened by the US.

The alliance said Mr Blix's report contained no proof that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

An alliance leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, said: "The US cannot now continue with aggressive postures.

"The US had no justification in the first place to threaten Iraq. After the inspectors' report it should stop beating the war drums."

Oil fears

Sri Lanka urged Iraq to co-operate with UN weapons inspections and called for diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve the crisis given the "human, political and economic consequences" of war.

Another UN report may be set for 14 February

Sri Lanka depends on Gulf oil for most of its energy requirements and fears a war would seriously damage its economic recovery.

The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation put off a planned shutdown of the country's only oil refinery for maintenance this month because of the uncertainty.

Mr Blix's report on Monday was his first major account to the UN following 60 days of inspections.

He said Iraq was defying international demands to disarm but also that there was no proof Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief nuclear inspector, called for several more months to finish work in Iraq and diplomats indicated the inspectors could deliver a new report on 14 February.