BRUSSELS, June 19 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The war twin U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are facing charges of war crimes in Iraq after law suits were filed against them in Belgium under the universal competence law, the government announced Thursday, June 19.

Fearing possible backfire, the Belgian government decided to refer the cases against Bush, Blair and six other high-ranking officials to London and Washington, making any trials highly unlikely, Agence France-Presse (AFP).

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Attorney General John Ashcroft, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice were additionally accused over the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan.

A Belgian justice ministry spokesman declined to say who had filed the lawsuits or the precise nature of the charges.

The ministry said it received the suits from Belgium's federal prosecution service on Wednesday, June 18.

The 10-year-old universal competence law gives Belgium's courts the right to judge anyone accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide, regardless of where the crime were committed.

But the Belgian cabinet quickly passed them on to U.S. and British authorities, in line with a precedent set last month when U.S. military officials were accused under the law of war crimes in Iraq.

A recent revision to the universal competence law by the Belgian parliament allowed such a move where the accused is not Belgian and his or her country has adequate war crimes legislation in place.

Nevertheless the new lawsuits could well deepen tensions between Washington and Brussels, which bitterly opposed the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Last week U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld threatened that Belgium would face consequences unless it ditched the law, which he branded "absurd".

Rumsfeld was backed by British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon, who said the Belgian law was a matter of "great concern".

Apart from Bush, Blair, the law has led to lawsuits against General Tommy Franks,  Rumsfeld , U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, former U.S. president George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. 

Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said Wednesday he wanted to circumvent the dispute by extending diplomatic immunity to all official visitors to international bodies on Belgian territory.

"We want everyone who wants to visit the headquarters of international organizations in Brussels to be able to do so without any problems," said Verhofstadt, who is trying to put together a new coalition government after winning elections last month.

So far the only convictions under the Belgian law have been those of four Rwandans found guilty in 2001 of taking part in the 1994 genocide in their homeland, which left upwards of one million people dead.