By DAVID STRINGER | Associated Press - Sun, Sep 2, 2012
LONDON (AP) - Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu called Sunday for Tony
Blair and George Bush to face prosecution at the International Criminal
Court for their role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
Tutu, the retired Anglican Church's archbishop of South Africa, wrote in an
op-ed piece for The Observer newspaper that the ex-leaders of Britain and
the United States should be made to "answer for their actions."
The Iraq war "has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent
than any other conflict in history," wrote Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel
prize in 1984.
"Those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading
the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to
answer for their actions in the Hague," he added.
The Hague, Netherlands, based court is the world's first permanent war
crimes tribunal and has been in operation for 10 years. So far it has
launched prosecutions only in Africa, including in Sudan, Congo, Libya and
Ivory Coast.
Tutu has long been a staunch critic of the Iraq war, while others opposed to
the conflict - including playwright Harold Pinter - have previously called
for Bush and Blair to face prosecution at the Hague.
"The then-leaders of the U.S. and U.K. fabricated the grounds to behave like
playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the
edge of a precipice where we now stand - with the specter of Syria and Iran
before us," said Tutu, who last week withdrew from a conference in South
Africa due to Blair's presence at the event.
While the International Criminal Court can handle cases of genocide, war
crimes and crimes against humanity, it does not currently have the
jurisdiction to prosecute crimes of aggression. Any potential prosecution
over the Iraq war would likely come under the aggression category.
The U.S. is among nations which do not recognize the International Criminal
Court.
In response to Tutu, Blair said he had great respect for the archbishop's
work to tackle apartheid in South Africa, but accused him of repeating
inaccurate criticisms of the Iraq war.
"To repeat the old canard that we lied about the intelligence is completely
wrong as every single independent analysis of the evidence has shown," Blair
said. "And to say that the fact that Saddam (deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein) massacred hundreds of thousands of his citizens is irrelevant to
the morality of removing him is bizarre."
However, Blair said that "in a healthy democracy people can agree to
disagree."
In Britain, a two-year long inquiry examining the buildup to the Iraq war
and its conduct is yet to publish its final report. The panel took evidence
from political leaders including Blair, military chiefs and intelligence
officers. Two previous British studies into aspects of the war cleared
Blair's government of wrongdoing.
The Iraq war was bitterly divisive in the U.K. and saw large public
demonstrations. However, Blair subsequently won a 2005 national election,
though with a reduced majority.
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Received on Mon Sep 03 2012 - 18:59:01 EDT
