German FM: Gaddafi should be arrested and tried

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Monday that Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi should be arrested and tried. “He will have to given an account before a court,” said Westerwelle at his office in Berlin. “The dictator’s time is up.” “dpa” quoted Westerwelle as saying Gaddafi had been a cruel despot who had waged war on his own people. A trial must be held, either in Libya or before an international court, the minister said. He also appealed to the rebels to move towards democracy and offered German aid. Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere meanwhile said he did not believe foreign troops would be needed to keep the peace in Libya. “We are betting that in the post-Gaddafi era, this country will keep its stable structure, like other Arab states have. That was what happened in Tunisia and Egypt,” he said in an interview that appeared in the newspaper Rheinischer Post. Asked what would happen if Germany were asked to give military assistance, he gave a standard answer, saying Berlin would “constructively” scrutinize each request for its aid, adding, “We always do.”