
LONDON (AFP) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu called on Sunday for British ex-leader Tony Blair and former US president George W Bush to face trial in The Hague for their role in the Iraq war.
The South African peace icon, writing in The Observer newspaper, accused the pair of lying about weapons of mass destruction and said the invasion left the world more destabilised and divided "than any other conflict in history".
Mr Tutu argued that different standards appeared to apply for prosecuting African leaders than western counterparts, and added that the death toll during and after the Iraq conflict was sufficient for Blair and Bush to face trial.
"On these grounds alone, in a consistent world, 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," Mr Tutu wrote in the weekly Sunday newspaper.