Nations either urged for an early end to the war, United Nations' role in postwar Iraq or warn of more conflict after the US-led pushsintosBaghdad.

　　Japan's leader warned that the conflict was not over yet. After weeks of peace protests and widespread criticism of the war, most other governments in Asia made no comment yesterday on the scenes of US-led coalition tanks rollingsintosthe Iraqi capital.

　　But the president of the Philippines compared US-led pushsintosBaghdad with her country's pro-democracy "people power" revolutions. Australia's prime minister described it as being as exhilarating as the breakup of the former Soviet Union.

　　In Hong Kong, about 50 demonstrators gathered outside the US Consulate saying the war had destroyed Washington's credibility on human rights.

　　In Indonesia, a staunch opponent of the war, Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda questioned whether the jubilation of crowds in Baghdad truly reflected the feelings of Iraqis.

　　"It is still too early to say whether the reaction of the Iraqi people is genuine or it is a (propaganda) campaign by one side," he said after a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta.

　　Malaysia, which had been a loud critic of the US-led action, chose to look to the future.

　　Acting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he hoped "the United Nations will be given the biggest role in matters to be undertaken following the war."

　　The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, listed by US President George W. Bush as being part of an axis of evil with Saddam's Iraq, and Iran, said that the war justified its maintenance of a strong military deterrent against the United States.

　　Pyongyang is now engaged in a standoff with Washington over fears that it is developing nuclear weapons. It accuses the United States of plotting to invade it - a charge the Bush administration denies.

　　With hostilities ongoing and the fate of Saddam Hussein unknown, Singapore, an ally of Washington, welcomed the advancesintosBaghdad cautiously.

　　"Fighting is not yet over. Still, developments in the last 24 hours have been swift and dramatic. We welcome the latest news that gives hope for a quick end to hostilities," said a statement made by the Foreign Ministry.

　　Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who backed US military action despite strong anti-war public opinion, welcomed the apparent fall of Baghdad.

　　"I've been hoping for an early end to the war, and it's good that the situation appears to be nearing an end," Koizumi told reporters.

　　Koizumi added, however, it is too early to say the war was over.

　　In Manila, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a vocal supporter of the conflict, said: "The sweetness of freedom is the same anywhere in the world. "The triumph of democracy over despotism and terrorism anywhere in the world is a triumph for Filipinos."

　　In Australia, Prime Minister John Howard hailed the success of the US-led coalition, which includes 2,000 Australian personnel.

　　He said the jubilation of people in Baghdad signaled the end of Saddam's regime.

　　France yesterday hailed the fall of Saddam Hussein, but President Jacques Chirac added that full sovereignty must be returned to the nation as soon as possible and "with the legitimacy of the United Nations."