Court snubs U.S., U.K., French Libya plan

The International Criminal Court dismissed U.S., British and French suggestions Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi could stay in Libya if he is removed from power. "He has to be arrested," chief court prosecutor spokeswoman Florence Olara said. The U.N. Security Council made clear in Resolution 1970 Feb. 26 Gadhafi needed to be brought to justice for alleged lethal force against anti-regime protesters, Olara said. Arrest warrants for Gadhafi were "legal facts" that "cannot go away," she said. "Any negotiation or deal has to respect [Resolution] 1970 and the ICC's decision," Britain's The Guardian quoted Olara as saying. The court -- a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes -- issued arrest warrants for Gadhafi and his son Saif al-Islam Gadhafi June 27 for crimes against humanity they allegedly committed during anti-regime protests. It also issued a warrant for the Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi at the request of chief court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Britain this week became the third NATO member to indicate Gadhafi might be permitted to stay if Libyan rebels were willing to accept his presence. The other two countries were France and the United States. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said last week France was open to a deal if Gadhafi quit as leader. White House spokesman Jay Carney said hours later Gadhafi must step down, but "then it's up to the Libyan people to decide." Some officials of the rebels' National Transitional Council have suggested they could accept having Gadhafi stay if he relinquishes all political power, The Washington Post and other news organizations have reported. Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi said Tuesday the discussion was moot because Gadhafi's departure was not open for debate. "The Libyan population has made itself clear -- they are not negotiating the future of Moammar Gadhafi," he told a news conference a day after meeting with U.N. special envoy Abdul Elah al-Khatib. "They are holding firm to the idea that the leader Moammar Gadhafi should remain the leader of this dignified country," Mahmoudi said. He said there would be no dialogue on Libya's political crisis until NATO airstrikes ended. In Brussels, NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said allied forces would continue Libyan military operations for as long as pro-Gadhafi forces attacked or threatened civilians. Gadhafi "cannot wait us out," she said.