World religious leaders including three renowned Nobel Peace laureates today called on the United States government to respond to the terrorist attacks without resorting to war.

"In a world obsessed by power, the call for a non-violent response to terrorism may seem outrageous. But we all know from our own lives that violent reactions only bring more violence in return.

"It is the strong who can show restraint and provide a non-violent example to others," read a media release by the International Committee for the Peace Council.

The US-based organisation formed six years ago to promote interfaith tolerance, comprises 18 peace councillors, among whom three were winners of Nobel Peace Prize - Mairead Corrigan Maguire (1976), Desmond M Tutu (1984, picture far left ) and Dalai Lama the Fourteenth (1989, picture left ).

The others include religious jurist ( mufti ) of Paris Dr Dalil Boubakeur, leading Hindu thinker HH Swami Chidananda Saraswati, Roman Catholic bishop of Mexico Samuel Ruiz Garcia, president of International Movement for a Just World Dr Chandra Muzaffar and Rabbi Levi Weiman from Israel.

The organisation expressed horror and sadness over the tragedy in US and said it prayed for the victims, their families and friends.

Last Tuesday, four jetliners were hijacked to perform suicide attacks on the symbols of US' political and economic strength two ploughed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington DC and the fourth, believed to have been headed for the White House, crashed in Pennsylvania.

Though the death toll cannot be established as the rescue team is still digging through the rubble, it is believed that at least 5,000 people have perished in the tragedy.

Deploring the terrorist attacks, the council however urged the US government not to "cause more deaths of innocent people as it seeks to bring the terrorists to justice".

Citing the strength of the late Dr Martin Lurther King in the face of racist violence, the council said, "Violence... is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.

"The old law of 'an eye for an eye' leaves the world blind... violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers," it added.

US President George W Bush last week declared that the terrorist attacks were "an act of war". The Senate and Congress had subsequently almost unanimously backed Bush for a retaliation on whom he determines necessary.

Warning of a possible US invasion, Taliban leaders had urged Afghans to prepare for a jihad , or holy war, against the US.

The threat of war loomed larger as up to 25,000 Afghan fighters armed with Scud missiles were reported to have been stationed at the Afghanistan border after efforts to extradite the terrorist prime suspect Osama bin Laden appeared to have failed.

War plans

CNN today quoted Pentagon sources as saying that America's "new war" against terrorism will be fought with "unprecedented secrecy", including heavy press restrictions not seen for years.

The sources also said the possible military action has been "highly compartmentalised" to ensure fewest number of people have possible access to classified war plans.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Lawyers' Association said the terrorist attacks in the US should be classified as a "crime against humanity".

"Such crime should in law be tried on a universal jurisdiction basis in any domestic court and internationally before a criminal court established for that purpose," said CLA in its statement.

CLA also urged the United Nations and the international legal community to establish an effective mechanism to deal with the growing menace of cross-border terrorism.