Expressing "deepest anguish" over the development, a Foreign Office spokesman said that the international community should undertake measures to alleviate human sufferings in Iraq, in which India will play its role.

The official reaction came after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held informal consultations with his senior cabinet colleagues on the evolving situation in Iraq. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani was among those who attended the hour-long meeting.

The Crisis Management Group led by R M Abhyankar, secretary of the External Affairs Ministry, to consider all aspects of the developing situation, also met in the afternoon.

Maintaining that India recognized the full force and validity of UN Security Resolution 1441 to disarm Iraq, the spokesman said,"It is a matter of grave concern that continuing differences within the Security Council prevented a harmonisation of the positions of its members, resulting in seriously impairing the authority of the UN system."

"The military action begun today thus lacks justification. It also appears from the various pronouncements of (weapons inspectors) Dr.Hans Blix and Dr.Al Baradei that military action was avoidable, " he added.

Underpinning the importance of paying special attention to the humanitarian situation in Iraq, the spokesman said, "We sincerely hope that the Iraqi people will not be subject to further hardships, sufferings, loss of lives and damage to property from an extended military operation."

He said that the international community must already begin a large scale effort to alleviate the human sufferings, adding "India will be ready to play its part in such an effort."

India has consistently held that Baghdad must fully comply with the UN resolution and that all decisions on Iraq must be taken under the authority of the United Nations.

New Delhi has also come out strongly against use of external force to change the present regime in Baghdad, saying that it should come from within and not imposed from outside.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2003)