A day of fasting should "provide greater understanding of the difficulties and sufferings or our brothers confronted by hunger, misery and war," Pope Paul said

VATICAN CITY, March 4 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Pope John Paul II of the Vatican called on the world's Christians to observe a fast for peace Wednesday, March 5, as a special papal envoy conveyed a message to Washington to step back from the brink of war on Iraq.

The pontiff urged a day's fast as a reminder of the long years of suffering by Iraqi citizens caused by an international embargo against their country, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Tuesday, March 4.

A day of fasting should "provide greater understanding of the difficulties and sufferings or our brothers confronted by hunger, misery and war," Pope Paul said.

Meanwhile, an informal opinion poll carried out on a private TV channel found that 55.7 percent of viewers said they were willing to follow the appeal to fast.

The pontiff's appeal has also been passed on by World Council of Churches in Geneva and the Synod of the Church of England.

The pope, meanwhile, renewed his appeal in support of a special mission by Cardinal Pio Laghi to the United States with a message to President George W. Bush warning against the consequences of war on Iraq.

Washington Adamant On War

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said last week that the pope was entitled to his opinion on Iraq, but that Bush would make his decision "based on what he thinks is right to protect the American people" and not Vatican pronouncements.

Jim Nicholson, U.S. envoy to the Holy See, on Tuesday confirmed that the pope's appeal would not influence American thinking.

"Cardinal Laghi's mission may be useful, but Iraq must disarm," he said on the private Italian television channel La 7.

"If (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein were to leave his country, that would be a perfect solution," Nicholson added.

On leaving Rome Monday, March 3, Laghi said he hoped to meet with Bush on Wednesday.

U.N. Address Denied

Separately, the Vatican denied that the pope had planned to make a personal address to the United Nations Security Council if his envoy failed to deter Bush from going to war.

"There are no plans for the Holy Father to visit the United Nations," a spokesman told journalists.

Earlier a Vatican diplomatic source had said that if Pope Paul failed to convince Bush, he would be ready to go to New York to address the U.N. Security Council personally.

This has now been denied by the Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls.

But observers noted that the Vatican earlier also denied initial reports that the pope was sending a special envoy to Washington.

Pope Paul has repeatedly warned that a war would only add to the misery of the Iraqi people and appealed for "just decisions."

He firmly opposes Bush's view that an assault on Iraq would be a just war.

The pontiff believes such a development could escalate into confrontation between western and Islamic civilizations.

The pope has thrown all his energy into efforts to stop the war, officials say.

"He has been more alert in the last few days, as though he wanted to give us more strength," Laghi said of the otherwise ailing 82 year-old pontiff.

It has been noted that on each occasion he has spoken of the danger of war over Iraq, Pope Paul has done so in a particularly firm, clear voice.

Meanwhile the weekly publication Civilta Catolica noted that Iraq was not the only country to violate U.N. resolutions. It said Israel and Turkey - both U.S. allies - had also defied the U.N.

Speaking to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Aziz during a papal audience last month, Jean Paul II called for concrete commitment by Iraq to show its will to cooperate with the international community in disarming.

Vatican Radio commented Monday Iraq had begun destroying armaments, and had thus shown a "clear will to cooperate."