The anti-war sentiment flared up across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa on Saturday, designated as the International Day of Action to Stop the War on the People of Iraq.

In central London, at least 500,000 people took to the streets to protest the looming Iraq war pushed by US President George Bush and his strongest ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair. But organizers say the participants could total 2 million.

The Stop the War Coalition, a main organizer for London marches, predicted the numbers could be higher and even reach one million, making it the largest-ever protest in Britain and biggest one among the demonstrations emerging in more than 300 cities across the world on the day.

In Brussels, a total of about 20,000 people held a peace march to protest a looming United States-led against Iraq. With a procession more than one kilometer long, the demonstration started at about 2:00 p.m. (1300 GMT). People chanted anti-war slogans and held up banners denouncing war and demanding peace for the Middle East region.

In Paris, thousands of French citizens took to the streets and gathered behind a slogan reading "no to war on Iraq. Justice, Peace, Democracy in the Middle East and in the world."

Meanwhile, nearly 20,000 Greek people gathered at the Syntagma Square in downtown Athens, holding flags and chanting anti-war slogans. The rally drew broad support, with the participation of the politicians, parliamentarians and officials from the country's all parties including the ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK).

In Baghdad, tens of thousands of people held a large-scale demonstration on Saturday, calling for peace and condemning the United States for its war threats.

Thousands of Egyptians rallied in downtown Cairo to join worldwide demonstrations for peace in Iraq. The demonstrators, holding the flags of Iraq and Palestine, demanded Arab countries stop pumping oil to the United States and its allies. Some protesters also called for boycott of the products of the United States and Britain, the two leading countries urging for a second Gulf war to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

On Saturday, anti-war rallies and marches were also being held in many Asian countries, including Japan, Pakistan, Thailand and South Korea.

About 10,000 people rallied before the US embassy in Bangkok on Saturday morning and handed to the US ambassador their protest letter against a possible war on Iraq. Local media reported that the demonstration is the largest ever in Bangkok since 1992.

In Tokyo, some 5,000 people gathered at a park in protest against a possible US-led war on Iraq, and a similar demonstration was also held before the US embassy in the capital city of Japan.

Bearing banners and placards proclaiming "Do not Attack Iraq," about 1,000 South Korean protesters, mainly consisting of university students and activists, rallied in a park in the capital of Seoul, and they were joined by many foreigners.

In Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, hundreds of Malaysians from various walks of life also staged a anti-war demonstration before the US embassy. Scores of full-armed policemen were called in to monitor the situation, while the procession went on peacefully.

In Pakistan, about 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the major city of Rawalpindi, chanting slogans against the United States and other Western countries which were pushing for a war against Iraq. Demonstrations were also held in other major cities in Pakistan, while there was no report of violence.

In Australia, more than 3,000 residents rallied at the center of Canberra, the capital city, to protest the government's involvement in a possible US-led war against Iraq.

In New Zealand, thousands of anti-war protesters held demonstrations in 18 cities around the island country to protest against a possible United States-led war against Iraq.

Also on Saturday, thousands of anti-war demonstrators took to the streets across South Africa to protest the threatened war against Iraq, burning an American flag in Cape Town.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2003)