VATICAN CITY - Military action against Iraq should only be undertaken if the United Nations authorizes it, the Vatican's foreign minister said Monday in the first statement on the issue by the Vatican.
In an interview with the Italian Catholic newspaper L'Avvenire published Monday, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran also warned the international community of the consequences that a war might have on both the Iraqi population and the stability of the whole region.
"We can't impose the law of the jungle," Tauran was quoted as saying by L'Avvenire. "Obviously we can't fight evil with evil."
"Should the international community ... conclude the use of force is opportune and justified, this should only happen with a decision made in the framework of the United Nations," the archbishop said.
He added that it should be undertaken only "after assessing the consequences for the Iraqi people, as well as the repercussions that it could have on the countries in the region and on world stability."
U.S. President George W. Bush is seeking foreign and domestic support for a possible attack to topple President Saddam Hussein, whom Washington accuses of continuing to make weapons of mass destruction in violation of U.N. resolutions calling for Iraq's disarmament.
Iraq says it wants to continue negotiations with the United Nations, but has not responded to Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for a return of weapons inspectors, who left the country in 1998 and have been barred from returning since.
The international community should "always give precedence to dialogue, never isolate a country or a government," said Tauran.
The comment came as many in Europe and elsewhere insist the crisis be dealt with through the U.N. Security Council and its resolutions.
Pope John Paul II has decried terrorism several times since Sept. 11. But while the Vatican has acknowledged the right of legitimate defense against terrorists, it has made clear that any "just war" needs to avoid harming innocent people.
In the interview with L'Avvenire, Tauran said: "We must be careful not to confuse justice with revenge and make sure that entire peoples suffer for the cruelty of those who carried out the attacks."