Downing Street has dismissed Robin Cook's call for a withdrawal of British troops from the Gulf.

A spokesman for the prime minister warned that such a move would send out the wrong message to rogue states around the world.

"You don't start a military campaign and then call it off after 12 days simply because you have not achieved all your objectives in that time period," said the official spokesman.

"To do so would leave Saddam Hussein immeasurably strengthened and send a green light to dictators all over the world that the international community doesn't have the will to see things through and we are not prepared to do that."

Number 10 also confirmed that Tony Blair spent the weekend engaged in a fresh round of telephone diplomacy.

The spokesman said the premier had spoken to Australian prime minister John Howard, Russian president Vladimir Putin, French president Jacques Chirac, German leader Gerhard Schroeder and Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Downing Street's intervention came after a series of senior ministers lined up to attack Cook following his criticism of the war.

The former leader of the House of Commons said events East were not going according to plan, with the war set to last longer than initial expectations.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, he attacked President Bush for launching the conflict from "the comfort of Camp David".

"I have already had my fill of this bloody and unnecessary war," Cook wrote. "I want our troops home and I want them home before more of them are killed."

But after being criticised for speaking out while troops are risking their lives, Cook later said he wanted to see a swift victory for the US and Britain.

In a sign that his decision to leave the Cabinet over the war has caused deep anger among government loyalists, Cook faced a barrage of criticism from his former colleagues.

Labour Party chairman John Reid said the comments risked "undermining" the confidence of the Iraqi people that Saddam Hussein would be removed from power.

"I don't know anybody who thought that this was going to be over in 14 days. Wars in the past have lasted certainly months, and mostly years," he told ITV News.

David Blunkett accused Cook of wanting to see a British "capitulation".

"I think those who take the view that Robin Cook has enunciated in his article today are mistaken," the home secretary told BBC1's Breakfast with Frost on Sunday.

"Robin resigned with great dignity, he put his argument with great force, but it's hard to retain that dignity or force if you advocate capitulation after just 10 days."

Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien said withdrawing allied troops would "leave Saddam Hussein in place and leave his butchery to continue".

"This is not the time to say these things Robin, and I am sorry you have done it," O'Brien said.

Cook moved to clarify his position, saying he wanted a swift victory for British and American forces.

"I am not in favour of abandoning the battlefield and that is not my position. There can be no question at this stage of letting Saddam off the hook," he told Radio 4's The World This Weekend.

"I wasn't in favour of starting this war, but having started this war, it's important to win it. The worst possible outcome will be one which left Saddam there."