ARCHBISHOP TUTU PULLS OUT OF SUMMIT WITH TONY BLAIR

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of an international summit, because he doesn't want to share a platform with the "morally indefensible" Tony Blair it emerged yesterday.

The retired archbishop, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his campaigning against apartheid, said that he had withdrawn from the event because he believed the former Prime Minister had supported the invasion of Iraq "on the basis of unproven allegations of the existence of weapons of mass destruction."
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Archbishop Tutu has long been a critic of Mr Blair's stance on Iraq – even before the invasion.

In 2003 the archbishop said Mr Blair's support for the Bush administration was "mind-boggling". "I have a great deal of time for your Prime Minister, but I'm shocked to see a powerful country use its power frequently, unilaterally," he said.

Archbishop Tutu is correct that the invasion of Iraq was illegal and based on false information.  A full explanation by the archbishop for his withdrawal may be found at the Guardian.

If leaders may lie, then who should tell the truth? Days before George W Bush and Tony Blair ordered the invasion of Iraq, I called the White House and spoke to Condoleezza Rice, who was then national security adviser, to urge that United Nations weapons inspectors be given more time to confirm or deny the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Should they be able to confirm finding such weapons, I argued, dismantling the threat would have the support of virtually the entire world. Ms Rice demurred, saying there was too much risk and the president would not postpone any longer.
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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.

The weapons inspectors from the UN had nearly completed their work and asked for a short delay in order to finish, but their request was refused.  They were close to a conclusion that Iraq had no WMD, and it's possible that Bush and Blair rushed the invasion, in part, to avoid the disclosure from being made public.  The two leaders were determined to bring down Saddam, WMD or no.  The inspectors had to rush out of Iraq in order not to be caught in the invasion.

I won't ever forget observing the process with horror, aghast that Blair would go along with Bush and crew in the madness.  There was an air of inevitability about the coming invasion, and it was plain that no new information would get in the way.

H/T to Juan Cole at Informed Comment.