Greenpeace, the environmental group, is demanding access to the Attorney-General's advice on the legality of the war in Iraq but the Government has refused to release it.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Attorney-General's advice remains confidential because of the long-standing convention that advice to governments in office is not disclosed."

Greenpeace argues that Lord Goldsmith's advice is vital to the defense of 14 activists in court following an anti-war protest last year.

The activists occupied tanks at the Southampton military base last February. Throughout their case they have argued their actions were necessary to prevent the loss of life.

If they can prove that the war was illegal, they may be able to claim that they were acting to prevent a crime.

A Greenpeace spokesman said: "We have written to the Crown Prosecution Service asking it for the Attorney-General's full advice to the Government on the legality of the war.

"We have given the CPS 24 hours to produce the full advice. Otherwise we will renew the request for the advice in court on the first day of the trial set for March 9."

On Wednesday the trial of the former intelligence officer turned whistleblower Katharine Gun was dropped after her lawyers asked to see the Attorney-Generals advice.

Her lawyers speculated the case was dropped because the Government wanted to avoid disclosing the advice. The Attorney General insisted the case was dropped purely in the public interest.

On Thursday Clare Short, the former International Development Secretary, increased the pressure on the Government by claiming that British intelligence had bugged Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary General.

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