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| Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu [File Photo] |
London: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu on Sunday called 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.
Archbishop Tutu said former U.S. president George W. Bush and former British prime minister Tony Blair acted like "playground bullies" when they decided to invade Iraq in 2003, and should face trial for their actions.
In a scathing assessment of the pair in Britain's Observer newspaper, Tutu wrote "they have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand - with the specter of Syria and Iran before us."
Tutu said the decision to invade Iraq was "premised on the lie that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction." He said that decision "has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history."
The South African peace icon and retired Anglican bishop argued Western leaders are held to a different standard than their African counterparts. He said the death toll during and after the Iraq conflict was sufficient for Blair and Bush to face trial in an international court.
Tutu also explained his decision not to attend a recent South African leadership conference. He said as the date of conference drew near,he "felt an increasingly profound sense of discomfort attending a summit on 'leadership' with Mr. Blair."
Tutu said in the article "good leaders are the custodians of morality. He said Mr.Blair and Mr. Bush "should not have allowed themselves to stoop to Saddam Hussein's level.