peaccenicked
24th September 2002, 16:32
Pope hails Saddam's goodwill, urges peace
AFP [ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2002 03:49:09 PM ]
VATICAN CITY: Pope John Paul II on Wednesday hailed the "goodwill" of Saddam Hussein and invited world leaders to listen to the Iraqi leader.
"Over the past few days, after the winds of war which threatened to overwhelm the entire Middle Eastern region, we have received the good news of the possibility of a resumption of collaboration between Iraq and the international community."
Iraq offered to readmit United Nations weapons inspectors after a four-year hiatus in a letter presented Monday to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
"I urge you to continue to pray to the Saviour to enlighten the leaders of nations, to support demonstrations of goodwill and lead humanity, already afflicted by so much pain, to relations free of war and violence."
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was speaking to around 7,000 pilgrims during his weekly general audience in St Peter's.
The Vatican came out strongly against possible US-led military action against Iraq in an interview given by its foreign minister, Archbishop Jean Louis Tauran last week.
Washington insists that Iraq is building weapons of mass destruction and has dismissed the Iraqi offer as a "tactical step" to avoid tough UN action.
Tauran said the Vatican favoured dialogue with Iraq, and said neither the country nor its government should be isolated.
"Obviously one cannot fight one wrong with another wrong, adding wrong to wrong," the archbishop told the Catholic daily Avvenire.
"If the international community, inspired by international law and in particular the Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, judges it opportune to resort to the proportional use of force, that must come about through a decision taken within the framework of the United Nations."
AFP [ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2002 03:49:09 PM ]
VATICAN CITY: Pope John Paul II on Wednesday hailed the "goodwill" of Saddam Hussein and invited world leaders to listen to the Iraqi leader.
"Over the past few days, after the winds of war which threatened to overwhelm the entire Middle Eastern region, we have received the good news of the possibility of a resumption of collaboration between Iraq and the international community."
Iraq offered to readmit United Nations weapons inspectors after a four-year hiatus in a letter presented Monday to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
"I urge you to continue to pray to the Saviour to enlighten the leaders of nations, to support demonstrations of goodwill and lead humanity, already afflicted by so much pain, to relations free of war and violence."
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was speaking to around 7,000 pilgrims during his weekly general audience in St Peter's.
The Vatican came out strongly against possible US-led military action against Iraq in an interview given by its foreign minister, Archbishop Jean Louis Tauran last week.
Washington insists that Iraq is building weapons of mass destruction and has dismissed the Iraqi offer as a "tactical step" to avoid tough UN action.
Tauran said the Vatican favoured dialogue with Iraq, and said neither the country nor its government should be isolated.
"Obviously one cannot fight one wrong with another wrong, adding wrong to wrong," the archbishop told the Catholic daily Avvenire.
"If the international community, inspired by international law and in particular the Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, judges it opportune to resort to the proportional use of force, that must come about through a decision taken within the framework of the United Nations."