NATO Votes to End Libya Mission Next Week

Posted October 28th, 2011 at 12:30 pm (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

NATO is ending its seven-month-old mission in Libya.

NATO ministers approved a resolution Friday that will terminate the air campaign next week. The decision comes a day after the U.N. Security Council voted to cancel its mandate that established the mission.

In its Friday vote, NATO formalized a preliminary decision to end its Libya mission on October 31. Libya's transitional leaders have urged the alliance to extend its mission until the end of the year because of security concerns.

In other news, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said informal contact has been made with fugitive Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said intermediaries have been in touch with Seif al-Islam Gadhafi to make sure he will receive a fair trial.

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi has been charged with crimes against humanity for killing civilian protesters during the uprising against his father's regime. He is believed to be traveling through the Sahara to a neighboring African country.

Libya's former security chief, Abdullah al-Senussi, is also wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. On Thursday, officials in Niger said he was in Mali.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday he did not foresee a major NATO role in post-conflict Libya. He said the alliance could possibly assist the new government in areas such as security and defense, if requested.

Moammar Gadhafi was fatally wounded last week as revolutionary fighters stormed his hometown of Sirte. A search is underway for some of his relatives and top officials who served in his administration.