WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday approved a resolution formally authorizing continued U.S. participation in the NATO-led military intervention in Libya but banning the introduction of U.S. troops on the ground there.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14-5 to approve the measure offered by Senator John Kerry, a Democrat, and Senator John McCain, a Republican, sending it to the full Senate.

It would authorize the mission for up to one year after the date of enactment of the resolution by Congress, unless the NATO mission ends sooner.

It also says that the removal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is a political goal of U.S. policy, and calls for the United States and NATO to be reimbursed for the costs of the operation from assets seized from Gaddafi's government.

All those who voted against the measure were Republicans, including the panel's top Republican, Senator Richard Lugar.

The United States and its NATO allies launched the U.N.-backed mission against Libya in March, aiming to prevent Gaddafi's forces from attacking civilians in regions opposed to his rule. The mission now, NATO-led since the end of March, appears to have the unstated goal of driving Gaddafi from power.

Many lawmakers are angry that President Barack Obama did not ask the U.S. Congress to authorize the U.S. role, even if they approve of going after Gaddafi. Last week, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives delivered a rebuke to Obama by rejecting a measure similar to the Kerry-McCain resolution.

That House vote suggests that even if the Kerry-McCain resolution does pass the Senate, it will not be able to get through the House and become law. However, the Obama administration has taken the position that it does not need to ask Congress for authorization for Libyan operations because the U.S. military role there has been too “limited”. This position has also annoyed many in Congress.

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TRIPOLI (AFP) – The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Tuesday urged Moamer Kadhafi's aides to help arrest him, as the Libyan leader lashed out at an ICC warrant against him for crimes against humanity.

On the ground, rebel fighters captured an arms depot from Kadhafi forces in the desert near their mountain enclave southwest of Tripoli in a boost for their resupply, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

Human rights bodies and the West, meanwhile, hailed the ICC's move against Kadhafi on Monday, the 100th day of a NATO-led bombing campaign.

Libya rejected the warrants issued for Kadhafi, 69, his son Seif al-Islam, 39, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, 62, for atrocities committed in a bloody uprising that began mid-February.

The ruling is a “cover for NATO which is still trying to assassinate Kadhafi,” said Justice Minister Mohammed al-Gamudi.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaaim said the ICC “functions as a European foreign policy vehicle.

“It is a political court which serves its European pay masters,” he said, adding: “Our own courts will deal with any human rights abuses and other crimes committed in the course of conflict in Libya.”

But ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Libya's regime could “be part of the solution” by implementing the arrest warrant.

“Kadhafi's inner circle is the first option. They can complement the arrest warrants,” he said at a press conference in The Hague.

“They can be part of the problem and be prosecuted, or they can be part of the solution, working together with the other Libyans to stop the crimes,” Moreno-Ocampo said.

And Harold Koh, a top legal adviser to US President Barack Obama, told lawmakers the United States and its allies are not targeting Kadhafi with military strikes.

“The assassination of a head of state is restricted by executive order,” Koh told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Koh also said Obama wants congressional authorisation to use force in Libya but does not need it.

“This administration is acting lawfully, consistent with both the letter and spirit of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution.”

Lawmakers of both major US parties have charged that Obama has violated that 1973 law, which aimed to curb US presidents' ability to enter overseas conflicts without permission from Congress.

And some have charged that Obama falls afoul of the Constitution, which makes presidents commanders-in-chief of the military but reserves to Congress the right to declare war.

China urged caution, telling the tribunal to be mindful of efforts to end the conflict in Libya.

“China hopes that the ICC will adopt a prudent, objective and just attitude when assuming its responsibilities to make sure its work will be conducive to peace and stability in the region,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

In the latest fighting around the southwestern mountains, the rebels on Tuesday captured a network of bunkers in the desert about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the hilltown of Zintan, the AFP correspondent said.

The capture of rockets, machine guns and other munitions was a major boost for rebel hopes of driving on to Tripoli from the front line on the other side of the Nafusa mountains, now just 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital.

Hundreds of rebel fighters, accompanied by local civilians, combed through the warren of caches, some of which had been blown up in air strikes but with others remaining intact.

The rebel fighters overcame heavy multiple rocket fire from loyalist troops to seize their booty. Rebel commanders said they also ambushed a government convoy, destroying three vehicles.

NATO said warplanes under its command hit three tanks and six armoured personnel carriers in the Zintan area on Monday.

The chief of NATO operation in Libya, Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, said Tuesday the mission had made “significant” progress but dismissed any scaling back due to rebel advances on the ground.

Germany, meanwhile, said it has offered to supply NATO with bomb components for use in the stretched military alliance's operation.

Moreno-Ocampo sought the three arrest warrants as thousands died in fighting and an estimated 650,000 people fled the country with Kadhafi clinging to power despite NATO strikes easing the siege of key rebel cities.

Gamudi noted his country was not a signatory to the ICC's founding Rome Statute, and “does not accept the jurisdiction of the court.”

But the head of Libya's rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, told a news conference in the rebel capital of Benghazi that “justice has been done.”

In The Hague, rebel justice minister Mohammed al-Allagy told reporters: “We are going to arrest them… We will decide afterwards where to prosecute them.”

Bulgaria and Croatia on Tuesday joined a list of countries which have recognised the NTC as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people, their foreign ministries said.

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TRIPOLI (AFP) – The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Tuesday urged Moamer Kadhafi's aides to help arrest him, as the Libyan leader lashed out at an ICC warrant against him for crimes against humanity.

On the ground, rebel fighters captured an arms depot from Kadhafi forces in the desert near their mountain enclave southwest of Tripoli in a boost for their resupply, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

Human rights bodies and the West, meanwhile, hailed the ICC's move against Kadhafi on Monday that came on the 100th day of a NATO bombing campaign.

Libya rejected the warrants issued for Kadhafi, 69, his son Seif al-Islam, 39, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, 62, for atrocities committed in a bloody uprising that began mid-February.

The ruling is a “cover for NATO which is still trying to assassinate Kadhafi,” said Justice Minister Mohammed al-Gamudi.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaaim said the ICC “functions as a European foreign policy vehicle.

“It is a political court which serves its European paymasters,” he said, adding: “Our own courts will deal with any human rights abuses and other crimes committed in the course of conflict in Libya.”

But ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Libya's regime could “be part of the solution” by implementing the arrest warrant.

“Kadhafi's inner circle is the first option. They can complement the arrest warrants,” he said at a press conference in The Hague.

“They can be part of the problem and be prosecuted, or they can be part of the solution, working together with the other Libyans to stop the crimes,” Moreno-Ocampo said.

In the latest fighting around the southwestern mountains, the rebels on Tuesday captured a network of bunkers in the desert around 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the hilltown of Zintan, the AFP correspondent said.

The capture of rockets, machine guns and other munitions was a major boost for rebel hopes of driving on to Tripoli from the frontline on the other side of the Nafusa Mountains, which now lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital.

Hundreds of rebel fighters, accompanied by local civilians, combed through the warren of caches, some of which had been blown up in air strikes but with others remaining intact.

The rebel fighters overcame heavy multiple rocket fire from loyalist troops to seize their booty. Rebel commanders said they also ambushed a government convoy, destroying three vehicles.

NATO said warplanes under its command hit three tanks and six armoured personnel carriers in the Zintan area on Monday.

The chief of NATO operation in Libya, Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, said on Tuesday that the mission had made “significant” progress but dismissed any scaling back due to rebel advances on the ground.

Germany, meanwhile, said it has offered to supply NATO with bomb components for use in the stretched military alliance's operation.

“The German defence ministry has received a request of the relevant NATO agency … Germany has expressed its general willingness to make available precision weaponry components,” a ministry spokesman told AFP.

Moreno-Ocampo sought the three arrest warrants as thousands died in fighting and an estimated 650,000 people fled the country with Kadhafi clinging to power despite NATO strikes easing the siege of key rebel cities.

Gamudi noted that his country was not a signatory to the ICC's founding Rome Statute, and “does not accept the jurisdiction of the court.”

But the head of Libya's rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, told a news conference in the rebel capital of Benghazi that “justice has been done.”

In The Hague, rebel justice minister Mohammed al-Allagy told reporters: “We are going to arrest them … We will decide afterwards where to prosecute them.”

Bulgaria and Croatia on Tuesday joined a list of countries which have recognised the NTC as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people, their foreign ministries said in a joint statement.

“The Kadhafi era is over and he has to step down immediately,” it said.

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Children's deaths are regrettable but air strikes are about saving lives, Gen Bouchard says

The alliance believes that it has largely been successful in avoiding civilian casualties. Nato admits that last week a bomb malfunctioned and strayed. But the general is keen to point out that more than 5,000 bombs dropped by Nato warplanes have hit their target.

‘He is the murderer’

I ask about a recent strike on a compound in Sorman to the west of Tripoli in which – the Libyans claim – three children were killed.

He insists that this was clearly a command-and-control centre being used by a senior Gaddafi aide. That aide, he says, would not hesitate to order the deaths of hundreds of civilians. If children were killed – and he seems willing to accept the possibility – he says it's “very regrettable”. But the attack, he says, should be seen in the context that this was all about saving lives. The bomb, he said, carefully avoided a mosque and hospital nearby.

It was this attack that prompted Col Gaddafi to denounce Nato on the airwaves as murderers and barbarians.

Gen Bouchard replies: “I believe that he is the murderer. He is the man that's lost the moral authority to command his people.”

Does that make him a legitimate target? The general repeats that his orders are not regime change or to kill a head of state.

“My mission is to stop violence against people and I will go all the way down the chain to the man that pulls the trigger,” he says. He thinks Col Gaddafi is avoiding military instillation and “hiding” in mosques, hospitals and schools.

As to the strains within Nato, Gen Bouchard seems unperturbed. Does he have the military hardware to carry out the job? Every military commander wants more, he says, before adding that he has sufficient capability to carry out the mission. He will let Nato member states worry about resources.

How long will this take? He says that it's difficult to say, though he does not expect this mission to last years. Calls for a temporary ceasefire, he says, would just give Col Gaddafi's forces the chance to “rearm and reload”.

Gen Bouchard ends the interview with an emphatic claim: “We will see this mission through.”

He paints a picture of success – a Libya where Nato creates the environment for politics and diplomacy to take root, and with the Libyan people able to decide their own future.

He is clearly relieved when the microphone is switched off. He can get back to the job he wants to do.

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TRIPOLI (Reuters) – NATO missiles have hit a site in Libya used by Muammar Gaddafi's forces to stockpile military supplies and vehicles, the alliance said on Saturday, adding it was unaware of 15 civilian deaths reported by state media.

The attack late on Friday was the second within hours on what NATO said were clearly identified military targets in the coastal city of Brega, around 200 km (130 miles) west of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Libyan state television said a local bakery and a restaurant had been hit, wounding 20 people in addition to the 15 dead. State news agency Jana said a strike in the same area earlier on Friday had killed five civilians.

“We have no indications of any civilian casualties in connection to these strikes,” a NATO official said.

“What we know is that the buildings we hit were occupied and used by pro-Gaddafi forces to direct attacks against civilians around Ajdabiya,” the official said of a nearby rebel-held town.

“Unlike the pro-Gaddafi forces, we go to great lengths to reduce the possibility of any civilian casualties.”

Separately, a Reuters correspondent in the capital Tripoli heard a total of four loud explosions as jets flew overhead on two occasions on Saturday. The blasts appeared to come from the eastern suburb of Tajura. Several other explosions shook the city late on Friday.

CREDIBILITY

NATO acknowledged for the first time last week that one of its raids in a three-month campaign could have caused civilian casualties, prompting concerns within the alliance.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said NATO's credibility was at stake and called for a suspension in the campaign — an appeal that was swiftly knocked down at NATO headquarters and by allies, including France and Britain.

In a televised address this week, Gaddafi branded NATO “murderers” and vowed to fight to the death to stay in power.

The bombing campaign of the NATO-led coalition is into its fourth month in support of Libyan rebels seeking to end Gaddafi's 41-year-old rule.

Recent progress has been slow and rebels have taken many casualties, but there are signs Gaddafi's forces are also being stretched and the local economy hit by international sanctions.

In what would be a morale-booster for rebels if they hear about it, four members of Libya's national football team and 13 other football figures defected to rebels, the BBC reported.

It said national goalkeeper Juma Gtat and Adel bin Issa, the coach of Tripoli's top club al-Ahly, announced the defections in the rebel-held Nafusa Mountains in western Libya.

(Reporting by Ben Deighton in Brussels; Joseph Nasr in Berlin; writing by Mark John; editing by Alistair Lyon)

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