World Reacts As Gaddafi Regime Nears End
By VOA
As Libyan rebels made a final push to capture the capital, Tripoli, NATO said Moammar Gadhafi’s regime is “clearly crumbling.”
NATO secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the sooner Mr. Gadhafi realizes he “cannot win the battle … the better.”
In Washington, the U.S. State Department said the Libyan Transitional National Council should begin planning for a post-Gadhafi Libya, since Mr. Gadhafi’s “days are numbered.”
The White House said President Barack Obama has been briefed on the situation in Libya while he vacations. But Mr. Obama decided to “wait until we have full confirmation of what has happened” before commenting on the events.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court at The Hague confirmed that the rebels had detained Mr. Gadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam. The world court was quick to remind the rebels that they had “an obligation to surrender Seif to the ICC.”
The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Gadhafi, his son, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, charged with crimes against humanity.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez on Sunday was one of the rare voices to criticize the events in Libya, and condemned NATO’s airstrikes in the country.
Mr. Chavez has long been a staunch defender Mr. Gadhafi and has denounced the popular uprising, claiming it is an oil grab by Western powers.
