Archbishop Desmond Tutu shows off his Martin Luther King Jr. stole after the ordination ceremony of his daughter Rev. Mpho Tutu on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004, in Alexandria, Va. (Photo/Evan Vucci)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu says Tony Blair and George Bush should admit the war in Iraq was wrong.

He said such a move would help persuade the people of Iraq the coalition is serious about the future of the country.

Archbishop Tutu, now visiting professor on post-conflict societies at Kings College London, has told the BBC: "I think the coalition would show considerable magnanimity if it was, in fact, to acknowledge that in the first place the assault on Iraq was wrong.

"If they were able to bring themselves to do that, it would go a very long way to making people say these people are, in fact, serious, they are not merely concerned about face-saving.

"The fact that the coalition has returned to the UN underscores precisely what people kept saying: that if the war was going to be legitimate, it needed to be declared by a legitimate authority, in this case the UN."

His comments come as a United Nations team is set to return to Iraq to examine ways to transfer power to an Iraqi government.

They would be the first UN staff in the country since a mass withdrawal in August following a bombing of UN offices in Baghdad which killed 23 people.

Edward Mortimer, adviser to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, said the UN wanted to help. But all sides had to understand the nature of the help on offer and be willing to accept it.

"We are not in control," he told the programme.

"In the end, Iraqis and the coalition need to agree on how to handle this. I think the fact they have to come to the UN shows they recognise they have got to reach agreement."

Copyright © 2004 Ananova Ltd

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