Tonio Borg attends London conference on 'post-Gaddafi' political process

Hague said that the conference will look at humanitarian needs in the country, but also plan for a democratic future without the man who has led Libya for four decades.

The foreign secretary has denied the coalition offensive in Libya is aimed at regime change, but confirmed that he hoped Col Gaddafi would step down.

While the Libyan opposition's Interim National Transitional Council will not be attending today's conference, a United Nations envoy will be heading to Libya from Britain.

"One of the things that we will launch at the conference today is the political process that will, of course, include that national council," Hague told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Hague said Britain wanted Gaddafi to face the International Criminal Court but refused to say where the dictator should go if he stood down.

"We are not in control of where he might go. I am not going to choose Colonel Gaddafi's retirement home," he said.

The Foreign Secretary added: "Of course I believe he should face the court. People who committed crimes, if the prosecutor has the information on them, should be before the International Criminal Court.

"But of course where he goes, if goes, is up to him and the people of Libya to determine and we will not necessarily be in control of that."

40 foreign ministers, including Malta’s Tonio Borg and the United Nations General Secretary are attending the event in London which is chaired by Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron.

 Britain and France are to use the conference to call upon Col Muammar Gaddafi's supporters to "drop him before it is too late".

Yesterday, David Cameron told MPs that RAF pilots have flown more than 120 sorties and completed more than 250 hours of flights as part of the international action in Libya.

And he paid tribute to the "skilful and dangerous work" done by pilots who destroyed 22 of Gaddafi's tanks, armoured vehicles and heavy guns over the weekend and flew deep into the desert this morning to target ammunition bunkers.

As the rebel advance continues, today's London Summit will look at what more the international community can do to ensure the safety of civilians in Libya and, crucially, what comes after Col Gaddafi has been forced from power.