World News: ICC Calls for Gaddafi ArrestICC Seeks Arrest Warrants for Libyan Leaders

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BY MARIA LOPEZ

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague is seeking arrest warrants for Libya’s top three men: leader Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi. Chief ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo tells the BBC the request is based on strong evidence of crimes against humanity.

“The office was able to gather direct evidence about orders issued by Muammar Gaddafi himself. The evidence shows that Gaddafi relied on his inner circle to implement a systematic policy of suppressing any challenge to his authority.”

But while the ICC remains optimistic about the outcome of the arrest warrant s -- and even expects Libyans to hand over the three men on their own -- others aren’t so sure.

“I think it is a desire, a hope for NATO and for the West that perhaps some within internal Gaddafi’s regime might see this and think: ‘If I don’t turn myself in, the ICC is going to come after me as well.’ So perhaps they will try and carry out some sort of an arrest of Colonel Gaddafi. Short of that, well NATO could do it themselves, but that requires boots on the ground; no NATO countries want to do that.”(Sky News)

According to The New York Times, Libya’s regime has shrugged off the calls for arrest from an organization they are not members of -- and therefore do not have to oblige.

“The Libyan government had dismissed the announcement in advance, calling the Hague-based court ‘a baby of the European Union’ that had been created as a means of prosecuting African politicians and leaders.”

France 24 explains - the uncertainty of the Libyan situation poses a dilemma for the Western countries.

“They face voters who are impatient for quick results... an inconclusive outcome is likely to limit Libyan oil exports, keeping world prices high, and drive thousands more migrants to risk death crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.”

Finally, the director of Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace tells RT-- despite Western diplomats’ insistence that they will not -- the world might find it is necessary to assassinate Gaddafi.

“He may survive this. It’s difficult to know exactly what’s going on there, but the reason reports suggest that Gaddafi may be gaining back some of the territory, so we just don’t know, but to answer your question, no, I don’t say it is inevitable, I think it’s likely there will be an effort to assassinate Gaddafi.”

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