After hearing that Russian soldiers stormed the school, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, was quick to say in a statement that he "regrets that the hostage crisis could not be solved peacefully, but understands the difficult dilemma the Russian government was confronted with."

The statement, issued on behalf of the entire European Union Friday, went on to call for calm and demonstrated the EU's solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin while at the same time offering condolences to victims' families and the Russian people.

Ministers' criticism unified

The EU's foreign ministers, who were meeting in the Netherlands to discuss the Chechen conflict among others, voiced their agreement with Bot's message and added their own words on the issue.

"We condemn this crime in the sharpest terms," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told Deutsche Welle. "I cannot see any reason which legitimates that babies, children were taken hostage or killed."

"I think there is no excuse for that (taking children as hostages), and it harms any kind of sympathy for the Chechen cause," agreed Per Steig Moller, Denmark's foreign minster.

The future of victims, and how to progress in the fight against terrorism also played a large role in the politicians' remarks.

"Lots of children are now in hospital and we'll see what happens," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (photo) said. "But clearly the fathers and mothers of the world have breathed a sigh of relief. The level of insecurity is very high."

The insecurity caused by terrorists needs to be dealt with, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said. The fight against terrorism "is the fight for all of us... it's the one we have to win," he told the AP newsagency.

Special forces dilemma

Some commentators questioned Putin's decision to end the situation with force.

"What the Russian government desperately want for this to be is a controlled operation, a controlled siege, a controlled ending to it," Hugh McManners, a security expert and former member of British special forces told Reuters. "This is anything but that. I think politically this is an absolute disaster area for them."

"If this operation is still in progress, then it means that it was not carried out in an ideal way by special forces," Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Symajdzinski said.

Others wondered if the decision was even in Putin's (photo) hands at all.

"I have the feeling that the siege evolved unexpectedly, something surprising happened. Perhaps something happened when the corpses were being picked up that provoked an escalation, so that one had to react quickly and attack," Elmar Thevessen, a German terrorism expert told Reuters.

Finding political solutions

Expanding on the failure of special forces to advert civilian deaths, the ministers called on the international community to do more to promote diplomatic solutions.

"The conflict in Chechnya can only be resolved through a political solution. Many people here have been caught between fronts," Fischer said. "Both sides have seriously violated human rights. On the one hand you have to fight terrorism, but you also have to promote political solutions."