Safe and sound

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi claimed Friday that he was unharmed, challenging rumors that he had been injured in Thursday's NATO airstrikes and fled his compound in Tripoli.

"I want to say to the crusader cowards that I live in a place where I cannot be reached or killed," Gadhafi said in an audio message carried on Libyan state television.

"I live in the hearts of millions," he continued.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini had stoked speculation when he said Gadhafi may have taken flight. Frattini based his comments on a conversation that he had with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Tripoli, Giovanni Martinelli.

"I am of the view that Gadhafi has probably fled from Tripoli but not the country," Frattini told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim countered Frattini's assertion.

"The leader is in very good health, high morale, and high spirits," Ibrahim said. "He's in Tripoli."

Although NATO denies targeting individuals in airstrikes, the Western military alliance has dropped several bombs on Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound as of late.

Gadhafi's son Saif al-Arab was killed in a NATO airstrike nearly two weeks ago. Gadhafi's compound was bombed again last Thursday.

ICC steps up pressure

Frattini went on to say that international pressure was causing the "the disintegration of the regime from the inside, which is what we wanted."

"International pressure has apparently provoked a decision by Gadhafi to seek refuge in a safer place," he added.

In a bid to further isolate Gadhafi, the International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor will seek arrest warrants for key regime figures.

"The prosecutors will request arrest warrants for the three persons believed to be most responsible for the crimes committed in Libya, based on evidence collected in this first investigation," a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said.

The Spanish radio station Cadena Ser said ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo would seek warrants for crimes against humanity against Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam and Libya's spy chief.

Rebels received at White House

As the efforts to isolate Gadhafi grow, the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) is reaching out to Washington for a deeper partnership.

Senior TNC leader Mahmoud Jebril met with national security advisor Tom Donilon at the White House on Friday in an effort to lobby Washington for official recognition and more funding.

White House spokesman Jay Carney acknowledged the TNC as "a credible and legitimate interlocutor for the Libyan people."

However, Washington stopped short of officially recognizing the TNC as the sole representative of the Libyan people.

"We are continuing to assess the capability of the TNC as we deepen our engagement with the opposition," Carney said.

Author: Spencer Kimball (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Matt Zuvela