The chief prosecutor of the International Court of Justice (ICC) on Tuesday called on Moamer Gaddafi's inner circle to turn against the Libyan leader and apprehend him, DPA reported.
Speaking in The Hague a day after the ICC issued arrest warrants against Gaddafi and two of his closest associates, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Libya has "the primary responsibility to implement the arrest warrants."
While it is not a member of the ICC, Libya has a duty to "cooperate fully with and provide any necessary assistance to the court and the prosecutor," as specified by UN Security Council Resolution 1970, Moreno-Ocampo said.
Acknowledging that international forces have "no specific mandate to implement arrest warrants," the prosecutor said Gaddafi's inner circle has the option of either cooperating with the court or face possible prosecution.
"Gaddafi's inner circle is the first option: they can be part of the problem and be prosecuted, or they can be part of the solution, work together with the other Libyans and stop the crimes," Moreno-Ocampo said.
His comments came shortly after the Libyan regime blasted the ICC for indicting Gaddafi, his son and Tripoli's intelligence chief on charges of crimes against humanity.
The rebel Interim National Council (INC) has already said it will implement the arrest warrants if given the opportunity.
And Moreno-Ocampo said he would be discussing the issue with INC officials visiting The Hague on Wednesday.
In the meantime, "the Office of the Prosecutor will continue investigating new crimes regarding the situation in Libya since 15 February 2011, in particular allegations of rapes and efforts to cover up the crimes," the prosecutor said.