The United States should have waited two or three weeks for approval from the U.N. Security Council before attacking Iraq, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said Monday night.

"It's a very delicate situation and I'm not the president of the United States," Cardoso said, addressing a crowd of more than 500 at Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre.

It would have been "terrible" if the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain had proceeded to strike Iraq with disapproval from the council, he said.

A resolution asking the U.N. to support military action on Iraq was withdrawn March 17, the same day President Bush gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 48 hours to flee his country.

Just a few hours after the deadline, a U.S.-led war on Iraq began.

Cardoso said it would have been "much better if the United States, the United Kingdom and others had waited two or three weeks" before commencing military action.

"It opens room for discussion after the war," Cardoso said. "I believe war will stop one day.

"War is sometimes necessary."

But the United States should still work with the U.N. for human rights and the environment.

"We never had, in mankind's history, a common world government such as the United Nations," he said, adding society is beginning to organize itself with the International Criminal Court.

"One thing is to raise questions, another thing is to have a court to judge violations of human rights and war criminals," Cardoso said. "How can we assure peace without having some international form of government and an international set of laws?"

The United States and Iraq are among seven countries refusing to join the court, which, according to its Web site, "is able to investigate and prosecute those individuals accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of war."

Cardoso's speech also touched on Brazil's economy and the country's new president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.

Geography Professor Morris Thomas said the opportunity to hear Cardoso talk was incredible.

"You visit a country, but you don't get the chance to talk to its president," he said, adding he last visited Brazil in 1992. Cardoso served as president from 1995 until January 2003.

"The country has a lot of potential in agriculture, research and technology," Thomas said.

While some were glad to hear Cardoso address topics other than war, journalism senior Elizabeth Aguirre said she was glad he addressed the current conflict.

"The war is on everyone's mind," she said. "Everyone wants to get away from it, but they don't want to get away from it.

"Given the relationship with the United States and Brazil, I think it's good he addressed the issue of war. It's going to affect the entire world, and that includes Brazil."