The bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade provoked strong reaction from many European newspapers, street protests in capital cities and robust condemnation from long-standing opponents of the US.
An official Iraqi newspaper, Al- Jumhuriya, said the bombing was deliberate and designed to punish China for opposing NATO's air strikes against Yugoslavia. The attack showed "the sadism of the Americans who revel in killing people", said the paper.
Iraq's old foe Iran - no friend of the US - was somewhat more measured. The embassy bombing was "unacceptable", it said, adding concern over the deteriorating crisis in the region. "Iran hopes that the crisis and the sufferings of Kosovan Muslims in the Balkans will be settled through efforts of the international community," a foreign ministry spokesman told Irna, the official news agency.
In Greece where there have been major demonstrations against NATO, despite Greece's membership of the Alliance, the left-leaning Eleftherotypia commented: "The phrase `war criminals' is the most lenient characterisation that one can attribute to NATO, which is indiscriminately causing death in Serbia."
Elsewhere in Europe, much press comment accused the Alliance of sheer incompetence. The incident was "a dream come true" for the Serbs, said Britain's conservative-minded Sunday Tele- graph. But, it added, "NATO should not worry too much about posturing by the Chinese".
France's only national Sunday paper, Le Journal du Dimanche, said the bombing "should not put an end to diplomatic efforts under way". The bombing was generally thought unlikely to change the strongly pro-NATO editorial line of the French dailies.
Meanwhile, about 600 people marched through central Amsterdam yesterday shouting "Peace now!" in a protest organised by left-wing Yugoslav and Serbian groups. Many were women dressed in black who said they were observing Mother's Day by attending the demonstration. A pamphlet demanded an immediate end to Dutch participation in the conflict.
In Hungary, one of the newest NATO members, 2,000 people attend a rally in Budapest yesterday to protest against what they said was a build-up of the country's role in the conflict. "The government is drifting helplessly towards war instead of furthering the case for peace," said Mr Istvan Ujhelyi, spokesman for the youth organisation MGYIT.