Lawyers to sue Blair over war

They want to indict Prime Minister Tony Blair and other senior members of the UK government and military for allegedly breaching international law by attacking Iraq.

The lawyers, from the Athens Bar Council, say they have compiled a dossier of "strong evidence" against the officials, including more than 20 alleged war crimes.

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They include the killing of Iraqi civilians, depriving the population of drinking water in cities such as Basra, the destruction of food supplies and the bombardment of residential areas.

A senior member of the association told the BBC the information had come from a variety of sources including doctors and journalists who were in Iraq during the war.

He said the alleged crimes breached the statute of the International Criminal Court.

Among those accused with Mr Blair are Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and the Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

The heads of the armed forces have also been named.

The prosecutor of the Inter-national Criminal Court will have to decide whether the case falls within his jurisdiction. If he thinks it does, a panel of judges must also give approval before an investigation can begin.

The Greek lawyers announced in May their intention to take legal action.

They said the war in Iraq breached international treaties such as the Charter of the United Nations, the Geneva Conventions and the ICC's own Statute.

But the British Government has always argued that the invasion of Iraq was in accordance with international law.

The Greek case has several hurdles to clear before proceeding at the ICC.

After the prosecutor has reached his conclusion, three judges must also decide whether the court has jurisdiction.

The ICC has already rejected almost 40 cases over the war in Iraq.