Tutu withdraws from summit in protest

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu withdrew from attending a conference in South Africa to protest the attendance of Tony Blair, he said Wednesday.

Tutu will not attend the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in Johannesburg, which begins Thursday, because he does not want to share a platform with former British Prime Minister Blair, a spokesman for Tutu said, declining further comment.

Blair said their disagreement stems from his support of the 2003 Iraq War and the forceful removal from power of Saddam Hussein, CNN reported Wednesday.