Despite the successful ousting of Gaddafi, the NATO-operation in Libya is still making waves as two French lawyers have indicated their intention to prosecute Nicholas Sarkozy for committing war crimes in Libya, following claims that civilian deaths caused by the NATO bombings in Tripoli could prove more than first assumed.

Roland Dumas and Jacques Verges, two high profile lawyers who have in the past already taken upon them to take on or be involved in controversial cases have now threatened to turn against the French government and go to the ICC.

While the National Transitional Council is now slowly taking control of the country, months of civil war have left tens of thousands dead and throughout the conflict, reports NATO airstrikes killed a number of civilians as they landed wide of their mark, emerged.

Dumas, an ex-foreign minister, is decisively not afraid of controversy as in addition to his intention to prosecute the French president, he also revealed he would be ready to defend Muammar Gaddafi in the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for his arrest.

However, warning that NATO or the NTC forces would first have to find him, Dumas pointed out "If they find him they'll kill him. Like Bin Laden," Dumas said. "Some states are now claiming the right to kill, against all international law."

Jacques Verges on the other hand, still flirting with controversy,(he was part of the legal team that defended Claus Barbie) calls the Libyan war a new Vietnam, where the U.S. sprayed millions of litres of toxins on crops in the 60s which in urn caused brain disorders, miscarriages and birth defects.

"They are using missiles with depleted uranium, which cause cancer," he claimed. "In Tripoli I saw people crippled by NATO attacks - office workers who have nothing to do with the fighting. That is why we are suing President Sarkozy for crimes against humanity."

Civilians it seems are also willing to demand NATO for more answers as many accuse the alliance of targeting electricity, water and food supply, which many said, only rendered civilians more suspicious of the new regime.

In a separate event, NATO denied bombing a residence where 13 civilians, including four children, died, but later on reportedly said the place was a military command centre.

While the NATO bombardment campaign on Libya raises questions, defending authoritarian-style leaders accused of oppressing their population and ordering the killing of civilians is unlikely be of help in the fight for the cause of the Libyan people. Verges and Dumas' intervention rightly highlights the consequences of bombardment techniques, especially as in the case of Libya the NATO operation's first aim was to protect civilians, but it seems unlikely Sarkozy could end up facing Gaddafi at The Hague.

Libya Cancer