Retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu called on his 70th birthday today for restraint in combating the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Archbishop Tutu - who won the 1984 Nobel peace prize for his efforts to bring a peaceful end to apartheid in South Africa - said in an interview on SABC television the response to the attacks should not be in the "same league of awfulness".
"I'm glad to say there are very many people in the United States who've been saying 'hey, we've got to look at ourselves, we've got to do some introspection"' over US foreign policy, he said.
"The Arch," as he is affectionately known, spent his birthday in the Johannesburg township of Soweto with his wife of 47 years, Leah, surrounded by children and grandchildren.
He appeared in fine form, despite having battled prostate cancer.
The knowledge he had a life-threatening disease has instilled a new intensity and sense of gratitude in his life, Archbishop Tutu said.
AFP