Date: 03/02/2010

Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho has labelled Tony Blair a war criminal after the former British prime minister was hired as a consultant for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

The 62-year-old author, who is behind a number of best-selling books, including The Alchemist and Veronika Decides to Die, wrote on Twitter: 'We are going to pay Tony Blair as an adviser for Rio 2016? An irresponsible person who declared an illegal war?

'I was in Copenhagen (where Rio won the fight to host the 2016 Olympics) for the athletes, not for murderers.'

'Not in my name. Not in my country,' he added.

A recent poll on Brazilian newspaper O Globo's website showed that 83 per cent of people were against the appointment of Mr Blair to the post of adviser for the Games.

At the British inquiry into the Iraq war, former international development secretary Clare Short, who stepped down over the cabinet's decision to topple Saddam Hussein, accused Mr Blair of misleading Parliament during the run up to the war because he believed he was right.

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