“It was expected that Moamer Kadhafi would be held if he was caught,” said Zuma who was part of a high-level African Union panel that failed to mediate a ceasefire in Libya.

“Those who caught him should have known that there was an international warrant out against him and that he should have been handed over to the International Criminal Court.”

South Africa voted for a UN resolution that imposed a no-fly zone over Libya but Zuma later accused NATO of over-stepping its mandate with airstrikes aimed at protecting civilians and of blocking AU peace initiatives.

“It is difficult to judge what happened because one doesn’t have all the details,” said Zuma at a briefing after talks with his counterpart from Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

“Those fighting for democracy in Libya would have been happier if Kadhafi had been handed over to the ICC.”

South Africa on Thursday pledged to support Libya’s new leaders and reiterated calls for an inclusive political process in Libya ahead of the north African state’s first democratic polls as the key to lasting peace.