LONDON: Britain hailed the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Moamer Qadhafi on Monday, saying members of the Libyan regime should now abandon him.
"I welcome the ICC judges' decision to issue arrest warrants for Colonel Muammar Qadhafi, Seif al Islam al Qadhafi and Abdullah al-Senussi," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
"These individuals are accused of crimes against humanity and should be held to account before judges in a criminal court," he said, calling on the Libyan government to cooperate with the investigation.
The court in the Hague also issued warrants for Qadhafi's son Seif al-Islam, 39, and the head of Libyan intelligence, al-Senussi, 62, over their acts against opponents of Qadhafi's four-decade rule.
"The warrants further demonstrate why Qadhafi has lost all legitimacy and why he should go immediately. His forces continue to attack Libyans without mercy and this must stop," Hague said.
"Individuals throughout the regime should abandon Qadhafi.
"We welcome the courageous actions of those who have taken a stance against the regime and recognise the inspiring stories of those who have refused to act against their own people or commit atrocities."
Hague also warned that others in the regime could face similar charges, saying that Libyans at "all levels of seniority should think carefully about the consequences of what they do".
Britain is one of the lead nations in a NATO bombing campaign against Qadhafi's regime, backed by a UN Security Council resolution, that entered its 100th day on Monday.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011
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