Del Ponte says Gaddafi’s fate “not negotiable”

Swiss former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte says the fate of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is not up for negotiation.

There has been speculation that the terms of Gaddafi’s exit from Libya may be being negotiated.

“This is not the first time that people have said they want to obtain peace at the detriment of justice,” Del Ponte told reporters in Geneva, in answer to a question about possible exile for Gaddafi.

She recalled that similar arguments has been used in the case of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, when talks were initiated to end the Bosnia conflict in 1995.

“Justice is not negotiable. It is an important contribution to long-term peace. If peace is concluded with criminals it will not last and will turn to violence and dictatorship,” Del Ponte said.

Del Ponte said the United Nations Security Council decision to refer events in Libya to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation was a “major step forward” for international justice.

                                  

The former prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) also expressed “doubts” about political readiness to carry out an independent judicial investigation into allegations of organ trafficking in Kosovo.