VATICAN QUESTIONS US POLICY TOWARD IRAQ

VATICAN, Sep 10, 02 (CWNews.com) -- The United States should not launch a military offensive against Iraq without the approval of the United Nations, the Vatican's top foreign-policy official has said.

Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Secretary for Relations with States, made his remarks in an interview with the Italian daily Avvenire. He also insisted that any military action must be designed to spare the innocent civilian population from undue suffering.

The archbishop's interview-- which was given additional publicity when it was summarized a statement from the Vatican-- was the first direct comment from the Holy See on American calls for military action against Saddam Hussein.

Archbishop Tauran said that unilateral US action would appear as a matter of "might makes right." He cautioned: "We can't impose the law of the jungle." And even if the Baghdad regime is a rogue government, he added, "we can't fight evil with evil."

Any military action, the archbishop continued, should be undertaken within the framework of international law. The form of intervention should be chosen "after assessing the consequences for the Iraqi people, as well as the repercussion that it could have on the countries in the region and on worldwide stability." And even in times of conflict, he cautioned, responsible international leaders should "always give precedence to dialogue, and never isolate a country or a government."

Meanwhile the US ambassador to the Holy See, James Nicholson, appeared on Vatican Radio to say that action against Iraq is imperative, because the regime led by Saddam Hussein constitutes a grave danger to the world. Nicholson said that US officials hope to receive support from the international community, since Iraq now poses an immediate threat "not only to the United States but to other countries as well." The Vatican has persistently questioned US policies toward Iraq, since the time of the Gulf War. Pope John Paul II has repeatedly called for an end to international sanctions against the Baghdad regime, complaining that the burden of those sanctions has fallen upon the suffering civilian population.

At the same time, Archbishop Tauran left no doubt about the Vatican's condemnation of terrorists and their sponsors. "The most important thing," he remarked, "is that no political leader worthy of that title, and no religious leader, can justify terrorism anywhere in the world." He continued: "We must punish the guilty and make sure that they do not do any more damage. But we must be careful not to confuse justice with vengeance."

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