Writing in the Observer on Sunday, former Noble Peace Prize Winner Desmond Tutu has called for George Bush and Tony Blair to be tried over the Iraq war.

The move follows Tutus decision to pull out of a leadership summit in Johannesburg because he refused to be on the same stage as Tony Blair. He wrote, ‘I couldn’t sit with someone who justified the invasion of Iraq with a lie’.

Tutu has been active in the defense of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.

He is most famous for his role during apartheid where he played a huge part in bringing about an end to the oppressive regime.

Tutu’s protests and actions were always peaceful. He was critical of the violent tactics of some anti-apartheid groups such as the African National Congress and he always advocated for the reconciliation of all parties. His actions led to him being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

In his article Tutu writes of the, ‘even greater costs that have been exacted beyond the killing fields’. Tutus greatest concern is the deepening divide between West and East. The actions in Iraq have made terrorist attacks more and not less likely and may now lead to war in Iran as well.

This action is typical of Tutu. He has never been afraid to speak out. Although he probably knows there is no chance Bush and Blair will ever face trial at the Hague he is trying to pull the East and West together. I think this article has as much to do with Iran as anything else. This is a conflict Tutu clearly fears.

In response to the article, Mr Blair issued a strongly worded defence. He maintained that he had never lied over weapons of mass destruction.

Pressure on Blair and Bush increased as Human rights lawyer Sir Geoffrey Bindman told BBC Radio 4 the Iraq war was an illegal aggressive war.

It’s now almost certain that the war was illegal because it breached the UN Charter provisions which say that all member of the United Nations must refrain from the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

Lord Faulkner disagreed

“The dispute between Geoffrey and myself would be whether or not resolution 1441 did or did not authorise war and we say that it did.

However Faulkner’s argument is severely weakened by the attempts of Britain and the US to secure a second resolution to justify military action. They ultimately failed to do so and this implies in my mind that resolution 1441 was not enough by itself and everyone knew that. Indeed speaking in 2004 former Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan said, ‘I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN Charter. From our point of view, from the charter point of view it was illegal.’