VATICAN CITY, Dec 17: A senior Vatican prelate on Tuesday condemned any so-called “preventive war” against Iraq as “aggression”.

Archbishop Renato Martino, who heads the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said: “Preventive war is a war of aggression and does not come under the definition of a just war.”

Martino was referring to the current US military build-up for a possible war with Iraq, which has been labelled a “preventive war” by US officials, including President George W. Bush.

The prelate, the Holy See’s former representative at the United Nations, where it has observer status, made the comments as he presented Pope John Paul II’s message for World Peace Day on January 1.—AFP