London - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem Monday accused the US of "criminal and terrorist aggression" by launching a raid on civilians in which seven people, including three children, were killed.

Speaking at a news conference during a visit to London, al-Muallem urged the US government and the government of Iraq to investigate the incident and hand the result of their investigations over to Syria.

The minister said the US government was responsible for the raid which took place in daylight hours which showed that it was "not a mistake."

"We consider this an act of criminal and terrorist aggression," al-Muallem said. He also called it a "blatant act of aggression against a friendly state."

"The responsibility is with the American government. They need to investigate and return to us with the results of the investigation," said the Syrian foreign minister.

Asked what would happen it such an attack was repeated, he said Syria would "defend our territories."

The Americans knew "full well" that the Syrian government stood against al-Qaeda and that it had done its best to control its borders, he said in response to claims that al-Qaeda militants were the target of the operation.

However, to control borders effectively there had to be partnership and cooperation with the bordering country, said the Syrian foreign minister in a thinly-veiled attack on the government in Baghdad.

Questions had to be asked about Iraq's role in the raid, following its defence agreement with the US, said al-Muallem, referring to widespread criticism that Iraq's sovereignty could have been placed at stake by the agreement.

The minister made his remarks after talks in London with David Miliband, his British counterpart. The two ministers earlier called off a planned joint news conference over fears that it would be "dominated" by the issue of the raid.

Diplomats said the British government was "irritated" by the timing of the US raid, of which it had no prior information, and which it feared could jeopardize European efforts to open a dialogue with Syria.

But al-Muallem said he was convinced that Syria's "promising relations" with European countries would not be affected by the latest events.

"If this was to interrupt our promising relations with Europe, Britain and France, today's talks made clear that this goal has failed," said al-Muallem.

He said he had invited Miliband to Damascus and hoped he could come, and stressed that Syria was determined to continue its dialogue with European countries, which had recognized that Syria could play a "stabilizing" role in the region.

Describing details of the incursion, al-Muallem said four US helicopters had crossed the border from Iraq Sunday afternoon. Two of the helicopters had landed on a farm while the other two were giving protection.

"Soldiers came out and started shooting civilians who were working on the farm," said al-Muallem.

They had killed a father and his three children, a guard and his wife and a fisherman and injured one worker, said the minister.

The victims had all been unarmed civilians, attacked on Syrian territory.

"Killing civilians in international law is an act of terrorist aggression," he said. (dpa)