Pope John Paul II has made a Christmas plea to avoid a war in Iraq, where UN weapons inspectors have carried out more searches of suspect sites.
In his traditional Christmas Day message, Urbi et Orbi, the pontiff also called for all religions to end the conflict in the Holy Land, describing it as a "senseless spiral of blind violence".
A spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mark Gwozdecky, said the UN nuclear agency would keep up its work in Iraq throughout the Christmas holiday.
"They are in Baghdad to work and they will work their butts off as long as they are there," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
On Tuesday the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, used a Christmas message to warn the United States that Iraq was ready to fight a holy war.
The United States has deployed 65,000 troops to the Gulf and 50,000 more are due to arrive in January. Washington has threatened to disarm Iraq by force if necessary.
Urgent call
The Pope's message was broadcast to tens of millions of people via live linkups with 50 countries.
"Believers of all religions, together with men and women of good will, by outlawing all forms of intolerance and discrimination, are called upon to build peace," Pope John Paul said.
"From the cave of Bethlehem, there rises today an urgent appeal to the world not to yield to mistrust, suspicion and discouragement, even though the tragic reality of terrorism feeds uncertainties and fears," the Pope said.
The Vatican has made clear its opposition to what US officials refer to as a preventive war against Iraq, saying it would not qualify as a just war, our correspondent says.
The Vatican also fears that war against Iraq might trigger an anti-Christian backlash in the Muslim world.
Earlier, in his Christmas Midnight Mass homily, the Pope said the Nativity symbolised peace.
"It is a sign of hope for the whole human family; a sign of peace for those suffering from conflicts of every kind; a sign of freedom for the poor and oppressed," he said.
Environmental threat
The World Resources Institute in the US has also warned of the likely impact of another Gulf war.
The Washington-based institute said that if the Americans and their allies did decide to go to war, those in command should be armed with a plan to minimise the likely environmental damage.
In 1991, Iraqi troops fleeing Kuwait set fire to hundreds of oilfields, causing enormous damage to the Gulf ecosystem.
"In fact, what many recall as a short-lived conflict resulting in the liberation of Kuwait was an environmental disaster, one from which the region and its people have yet to recover," WRI president Jonathan Lash said.
"Today Saddam [Hussein] could deliberately create another catastrophe if attacked," he added.
In his Christmas message, Saddam Hussein accused the United States of warmongering.
He said the Iraqi people were ready to "deter aggression" by following "the road of Jihad (holy war) and struggle".
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