A Labour member of the Welsh assembly has slammed "self-righteous" western leaders during the first vote on the subject by UK elected representatives.

Plaid Cymru called the debate on the impact of the current international situation on Wales, arguing for a halt to the bombing campaign amid warnings of a humanitarian disaster.

"We are talking about a worse disaster than even what we saw in Ethiopia in the 1980s," said party leader Ieuan Wyn Jones.

However, the strongest criticism of the bombing campaign came from Labour's Preseli Pembrokeshire assembly member, Richard Edwards.

He warned that the military campaign would assist the recruitment of further terrorists and said western democracies were "buttressed by a rotten clientele of despots and oligarchies who police and brutalise their people to the benefits of western multi-nationals like the oil companies".

"We have to seriously question whether military onslaught by the richest country on the planet on just about the poorest will really rid the world of terrorism," he said.

He also called for the West to cancel the debts of third world countries, but added that this "would require a revolution in West-third world relations which our leaders, for all their self-righteous rhetoric, have not begun to address, nor will they because so many are in the pockets, certainly the US President, of multi-national organisations who profit from third world exploitation".

He also accused the British government of making the UK a target for terrorist attacks.

"We are targeted by terrorists because our government denies freedom, democracy and human rights to people in the third world whose resources are coveted by our multi-national corporations where poverty, injustice and oppression provide fertile ground for hatred and fanaticism. It is time that we acknowledge that in much of the world we stand for dictatorship, bondage and human exploitation," he told the assembly.

Despite the attack, AMs backed an amendment to the Plaid Cymru motion which added that the assembly "supports the actions taken by the UK government in support of the world alliance against terrorism".

It was tabled by Andrew Davies (Lab, Swansea West), Peter Black (Lib Dem, South Wales West), William Graham (Con, South Wales East).

During the debate, the Lib Dem AM for Montgomeryshire, Mick Bates, said that his party supports the aims of the international coalition but also wants to see a sustained humanitarian aid effort to help refugees. But he attacked Plaid Cymru for their position on the bombing.

"We agree with some members of Plaid Cymru...in that his party's leadership is proposing an illogical argument. This, once again, highlight's Plaid's naivety under its current leadership. If Plaid Cymru adopted a truly pacifist stance then they would, perhaps, gain respect. Once again they are resorting to their favoured tactic of being 'all things to all men' - a strategy that is fast becoming an albatross around Plaid Cymru's neck," Bates said.

The criticism of the nationalist position was echoed by Nick Bourne, leader of the Conservatives in the assembly, who also said other parties should do more to support the military campaign.

"The other political parties in the national assembly have shown no backbone over this issue, which is a shame as soon there may be Welsh men and women involved who are willing to stand up against the world's terrorists in order to protect our liberties and freedoms. I sincerely hope they decide to follow in the footsteps of the Welsh Conservative Party in supporting their aims," said Bourne.