I have been in favour of doves in West Asia or other conflicts: Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said he has always been "in favour of doves" in West Asia or other conflicts.

Speaking to reporters, Tharoor said the damage being done to the combatants, the neighbourhood, and the wider region, including to India, due to the West Asia conflict has "crossed all acceptable limits" and it must be made to stop.

He added the West Asia conflict is a serious issue, and its affecting the ordinary lives of Indians and others everywhere.

"I think that we should be part of (efforts), and ideally we should lead an international effort to bring this war to an end. There are many countries that will join us. No one wants to see this war continue," he said.

"And I think the time has come now to get both sides to climb down from their positions. They need our help, they need our encouragement and that of other countries. I hope we will play our part," the former Union minister of state for external affairs said.

"If you saw the appeal from the Omani foreign minister, very, very important gesture. I think many, many countries are saying that we absolutely have to bring this war to a close. It is doing far too much damage and it's not clear at all what good it's doing to anybody," he underlined.

He was also asked if in this environment of "hawks", there was a need some "doves" who want to see de-escalation.

"I've been obviously somebody who has been in favour of doves, in this particular conflict and in most conflicts. War is a futile activity. In fact, I spent a lot of years in peacekeeping at the UN, and I can tell you soldiers are the last ones who want to see wars. They know how much horror, how much suffering, how much true loss is involved. No one wants to see war continue," he asserted.

When you talk to soldiers who have lived through fighting and killing, they will share with you the anguish it means, the Congress MP said.

"I think that it's one thing to be forced to defend your country. It's something else to go on prosecuting a war in which people are dying every day, innocents are dying, school children have been killed, all sorts of innocent people are losing their lives for frankly, for what," he asked.

"I think at this point the damage being done everywhere, both to the combatants, to the neighbourhood, and then to the wider region including to India, has crossed all acceptable limits. It must be made to stop," Tharoor said.

(With PTI inputs)