"A war of aggression would be a crime against peace," Mr Tauran told a peace meeting in Rome.

  He recalled that "article two of the United Nations Charter asks member states to renounce war as a means to settle international differences".

  "All possible action against Iraq must be undertaken and decided within the United Nations.

  "Only the Security Council has the power to decide on an armed intervention as legitimate defense, which implies that there has been an aggression," he added.

  UN weapons inspectors must be able to pursue their work, he said