No Incentive for Gadhafi to Leave Libya Amid Criminal Charges

The International Criminal Court threw a wrench in back-channel talks to get Moammar Gadhafi and his family to leave Libya by issuing arrest warrants today for the dictator, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi.

Gadhafi is accused of ordering attacks on civilians during Libya's four-month revolution, which began as a peaceful Arab Spring protest, but turned into an  armed insurrection when Gadhafi's forces and secret police opened fire on demonstrators.

"(Gadhafi) aimed at deterring and quelling by any means, including by the use of force, the demonstrations of civilians against the regime", the court alleged.

His son Saif and Sanussi are accused of carrying out the orders to open fire on the Libyan demonstrators from Feb. 15 to at least Feb 28. Thousands of Libyans are believed to have been slaughtered under Gadhafi's orders.

Gadhafi's spokesman said over the weekend the regime does not recognize the ICC and will ignore the charges.

In an unusual twist, diplomatic sources from NATO-member nations said the ICC at The Hague clearly did the right thing by charging the trio with crimes against humanity, but acknowledged the court probably wiped out some incentive for Gadhafi to leave Libya.

The rebels have said they are willing to consider a plan to get Gadhafi and his family to leave government, but remain in Libya under a sort of house arrest in-country exile.

The diplomatic sources, who spoke this morning after the ruling on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance does not like that idea, but acknowledged it may have to swallow that pill.

Publicly NATO welcomed the court's action. "It reinforces the reason for Nato's mission to protect the Libyan people from Gadhafi's forces," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh  Rasmussen.

Closer to home, the warrants give President Obama some much-needed cover with peacenik House  Democrats, who have joined with conservative Republicans  in arguing the administration has failed to make the case against joining the NATO-led air campaign.

At the outset, Obama joined the two biggest U.S. allies, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and Nicolas Sarkozy of France, in arguing that the air strikes were necessary to prevent a genocidal slaughter in the city of Benghazi, where Gadhafi's troops had massed in March.

Gadhafi had publicly threatened to wipe out the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, which has since become the de facto capital for the Transitional national Council. Led by French warplanes, the alliance struck March 19, wiping out the armored column outside Benghazi.

"We are extremely happy that the whole world has united in prosecuting Gaddafi for the crimes he has committed," rebel council spokesman Jalal al-Galal told Reuters. "The people feel vindicated by such a response."

Appeal Fails; Mladic Extradited to The Hague

Accused Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Gen. Ratko MLadic is now in a jail not far from The Hague, where he will stand trial on charges of genocide "and a multitude of crimes" for the mass murder of more than 6,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995, it was announced today.

"Ratko Mladic was today transferred to the Tribunal’s custody, after having been at large for almost 16 years. Mladic, who was arrested by Serbian authorities on Thursday, 26 May 2011, has been admitted to the UN Detention Unit in The Hague," the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said in a statement.

"His initial appearance will be announced in due course," the statement said.

Mladic, 69, claimed his health is failing, but Serbia's war crimes court rejected that plea earlier today and denied his final appeal against extradition to The Hague.

"The UN Detention Unit where Mladić is detained meets the highest international standards for the treatment of detainees. It is managed in a manner respecting the detainees’ dignity and rights, and providing all the necessary conditions for the preparation of their defense," the tribunal said.

"Following a full medical examination by the Detention Unit’s medical staff, Mladić’s health will be continuously monitored and any treatment required will be provided," the court added.

Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic is already on trial at The Hague.