The Vatican: war against Iraq is a crime against peace

The Vatican papal nuncio, Jan Loi Toran, has stated that launching a war against Iraq without the consent of the UN will be "a crime against peace."

During a seminar in Rome about peace, Toran said "the aggressive war will constitute a crime against peace" recalling the second article of the UN charter which makes it imperative of the UN member states not to resort to war in order to settle international disputes.

Toran added "any likely action against Iraq should be made and decided within the context of the UN Security Council. It is only the UN which has the decision making authority concerning a military intervention for legitimate defense, and "this necessitates the occurrence of a premeditated aggression." The Vatican Papal Nuncio also stressed that the UN inspectors should continue dismantling the Iraqi weapons.