NATO will not seek to arrest Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, as it is not within the organization’s competence, an official spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant on Monday for Gaddafi’s arrest.
"The execution of the warrant is nevertheless not NATO's job. Our job is only to protect Libya's civilian population," NATO’s senior spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, adding that NATO would maintain military and political pressure on the Gaddafi regime.
The Hague-based ICC said on Monday it had "reasonable grounds to believe" that Gaddafi ordered the murders and persecution of civilians.
Warrants were also issued for Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi.
Thousands of people have been killed in the four-month uprising in Libya, whose current authorities have rejected the arrest warrants, saying they were based on "falsified charges."
