Could Qaddafi warrants solve Obama's Libya crisis?

UNITED NATIONS - President Barack Obama said that the United States intervened in Libya to prevent a slaughter of civilians that would have "stained the world's conscience." Today, France, at the NATO meeting in Berlin, asked the Obama Administration to resume air raids. Fighting is intensifying in several Libyan cities and the rebels opposing Qaddafi are warning of what they call a "massacre" unless NATO provides them more support against government forces.

The U.N. Security Council approved the NATO-led no-fly zone (with air strikes) to stop assaults by Qaddafi on his own people. Finally, the U.N. referred the conduct of Libya's leader to the International Criminal Court.

The Court is now planning to prepare arrest warrants for Qaddafi and his sons and expects to present evidence that the regime of Muammar Qaddafi planned to kill civilians even before the revolt in Libya commenced as a way for Qaddafi to stave off the kind of rebellion that took place in Tunisia and Egypt.

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In two weeks time, the International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo will present evidence gathered from the investigations which he began in March after a unanimous U.N. Security Council, more united at that time than now, referred the case to the Court.

The Prosecutor will report his findings to the U.N. Security Council on May 4 and expects to make an application for arrest warrants after that. If arrest warrants are issued, can the U.N. forces or NATO forces actually "arrest" Qaddafi or would his own government turn him over to the Hague court? Recent defectors indicate that Qaddafi's inner circle is dwindling.

Without a break in the impasse, the White House is conceding that there is, at least for now, a stalemate, with no political solutions apparent. "We need a few more precision-fighter ground-attack aircraft for air-to-ground missions," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today at the NATO meeting.

With the White House loathe to arm the rebels, President Obama is turning to others and today met with the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani at the White House and said, "Qatar is not only supportive diplomatically but is also supportive militarily, and we are very appreciative of the outstanding work of that the Qataris have done side by side with the other international coalition members."

Some analysts say that the two recent Libya U.N. Resolutions, which protect civilians through military intervention and criminal justice, making the International Criminal Court into the new weapon to resolve conflicts; others believe it will prevent Qaddafi from finding a safe haven.

For now, Americans support the Administration's handling of Libya, according to CBS' March poll, and a new CNN poll says that 73 percent say removing Qaddafi from power should be an important U.S. policy goal. If there are will be no boots on the ground and the fighting has reached a stalemate, will Obama rely on the new muscular power of the International Criminal Court to arrest Libya's Qaddafi? Time will tell.