Gadhafi's 'capture' welcomed by EU leaders

Updated: 2011-10-20 22:05

(Xinhua)

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BRUSSELS - Alleged capture of former Libyan leader Gadhafi has been welcomed by several European Union (EU) leaders on Thursday.

Gadhafi's capture is "good news," if it is true, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

He hoped the deposed Libyan leader would soon face the International Criminal Court, known as the Hague tribunal, Rutte said.

The war in Libya was "over," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was quoted by Italy's ANSA news agency as saying.

However, the European Union was still waiting for confirmation of Gadhafi's capture, an EU spokesman told Xinhua on Thursday.

"I have nothing to say yet as we are waiting for confirmation of the news," said Michael Mann, the spokesman of the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

NATO aircrafts on Thursday morning struck two pro-Gadhafi military vehicles in the vicinity of Sirte. But it had not formally response to the news that Gadhafi was wounded and dead.

It is up to the Libyan NTC (National Transitional Council) to confirm the alleged capture of Gadhafi, a NATO official said.

The military alliance has repeatedly said the former Libyan leader is not a target of its campaign in Libya, which aims to protect civilians.