World leaders expressed horror at the bloody climax of Russia's hostage crisis today, saying the barbaric attack on school children showed terrorists have sunk to new lows.
And some experts warned that Russia's Chechnya conflict was becoming the next crossroads of international terrorism.
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said: "We have been confronted with a deep human tragedy. "This shows once again that we have to do everything in our power to confront terrorism."
The EU directed veiled criticism at Russia's handling of the crisis, saying it regretted the violence and bloodshed. Mr Bot said the tragedy highlighted the need for Russia to end the long-standing conflict in Chechnya and that the EU would continue to push for a peaceful resolution to the fighting.
As images of weeping mothers outside the school in Beslan, Russia were beamed around the world, and bloodied figures were seen wheeled away on stretchers, many decried the violence as heinous new territory for terrorists.
US President George Bush called the siege "another grim reminder of the length to which terrorists will go to threaten this civilised world". "We mourn the innocent lives that have been lost," Bush said. "we stand with the people of Russia, we send them our prayers for this terrible situation."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote to Russian leader Mr Vladimir Putin: "It is hard to express my revulsion at the inhumanity of terrorists prepared prepared to put children and their families through such suffering."
"This is a new dimension of terrorism," said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
"The international community has to unite against terrorism that denies common human values to all the world's civilisations," said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. "There is no reason that could justify such inhuman violence."
Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said the "evil deed" of targeting children would bring the international community together. It made the world "understand what times we are living in, how vulnerable our communities are and what types of crimes and terror we have to deal with," he said.
From the Middle East, several leaders cabled Mr Putin to convey condolences and denounce the hostage-takers. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said Beirut "denounces all forms of terror, especially that which threatens the lives of children and innocents". A similar message was sent by Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.
In Jordan, a government spokeswoman condemned the hostage-taking as "heinous", saying: "No cause can be achieved by such criminal means."