The European Commission called Monday for "one last effort" to seek a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis but admitted that war seemed "more probable than ever".

"This is a grave and difficult moment for the international community," said Commission spokesman Reijo Kemppinen.

"Even though war now seems more probable than ever, the Commission urges all countries concerned to make one last effort to find a peaceful solution," he added.

Speaking ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York later Monday, he added that European Union's executive in Brussels had "consistently argued that if war were to be issued it should be up to the United Nations to authorize a decision to attack".

"We must all work together to reduce potential long-term damage to the United Nations," as well as to the EU's efforts to build a common foreign policy, he said.

"If there is to be a war we can only hope that it will be as short as possible, with the minimum of civilian casualties and the minimum of regional disruptions." - Sapa-AFP