The government will not support a war against Iraq even if the United Nations Security Council gives the go-ahead, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today, significantly hardening his position against an attack.

War was a primitive "Stone Age" way of settling problems and "we will object to attempts to attack Iraq, even if the United Nations decides that...war o­n Iraq is allowed," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"This (war) is an act which kills innocent people. Women, children and old people who are not soldiers will be killed," said Mahathir.