By IOL South Asia Correspondent

NEW DELHI, October 26 (IslamOnline) - India's major opposition parties Saturday decided to jointly hold demonstrations across the country to protest the "aggressive postures" of the U.S. against Iraq, saying any war would not only destabilize the entire region but also affect Indian interests.

A massive demonstration will be held against the American plans on November 14 in Delhi, to be followed by similar demonstrations in other major Indian cities to register the rejection of the people of India of the neocolonial war.

Former prime minister, VP Singh, who attended the meeting, said during the discussions that the very idea of the inspection of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is dangerous and may be extended in future to any other country, even to India if it goes against American wishes. He said he does not know if the target is WMD or the region's oil or to impose American dictatorship.

The former prime minister asked the U.S. to think about the reasons why there is so much anger all over world, particularly among Arab people, against it.

VP Singh had warned on October 23 in a joint statement with another former prime minister, IK Gujral, that the war against Iraq will destabilise the entire West Asia and its neighbourhood.

"It is a clear case of violation of international law to try to destabilise a government in any country," Singh said.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet said Washington's role in dislodging the Iraqi regime by calling it part of "an axis of evil" was actually meant to establish global hegemony of the US.

He said the Indian government had not done anything to make its stand clear on the recent "war-mongering" statements by American leaders.

Samajwadi Party's general secretary Amar Singh observed that the U.S. is resorting to gangsterism in the name of curbing terrorism. Congress Party's Salman Khurshid observed that they tell us to talk to Pakistan but refuse to even consider this in the case of Iraq.

Salman Khurshid, a former minister of state for foreign affairs, said not only Iraq but many countries are targets of the only superpower in the world. After Iraq a new name will emerge as the "supporter of terrorism" and that country too will get similar treatment, he said.

All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat's Zafarul-Islam Khan said we ought to enlarge our focus. Iraq is the immediate issue but America's war on terror is going to continue for many years as Washington has drawn a very big list of "rogue states". There are plans to re-draw the boundaries of the Middle East which were drawn under Sykes-Picot agreement of 1915 between Britain and France.

Speakers recalled how tens of thousands of Indians had to flee the Gulf as result of the first Gulf war. Many felt that the strike is planned just after the month of Ramadan.

A statement issued by the meeting said, "A war on Iraq will cause unimaginable destruction. Thousands of lives will be lost and the country devastated. It will create new tensions which will threaten world peace."

The statement went on to say, "Already the stand of the United States has led to a wave of anger among the people in all Arab countries. Use of brute military force will only strengthen the forces of terrorism. India's interests will be seriously harmed by such war."