France to release 1.5 bln euros Libyan assets
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Xinhua, September 1, 2011
France will soon release 1.5 billion euros (2.15 billion U.S. dollars) of Libyan assets to aid the country's political transition , Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Thursday.
French top diplomat made the remarks on local radio RTL hours before an international meeting of contact group on Libya due be held in Paris.
"There are tens of billions of dollars that are frozen. The Americans just unlocked them, the British will do the same, the Germans, the French, this will allow the NTC (Libya National Transition Council) to work," Juppe said.
French banks now holds a total 7.6 billion euros (10.89 billion U.S. dollars) in assets under the name of Gaddafi's regime. France announced Wednesday that it has asked the United Nations Sanctions Committee to unfreeze 1.5 billion euros out of the total amount.
Last week in a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace, Libya rebel leader Mahmoud Jibril urged France and western allies to unfreeze Libyan assets for the expected political transition, humanitarian aid and rebuilding of constructions.
