Contact Group Endorses NTC Request to Unblock $5 Bn Of Frozen Libyan Assets

Doha, August 24 (QNA) -A meeting of the Libya Contact Group's political directors endorsed on Wednesday a request by the National Transitional Council NTC to unblock $5 billion dollars of Libyan assets abroad.
HE Dr Khalid Bin Mohamed al Attiyah, the Qatari Minister of State for International Cooperation said in a joint news conference with the head of the NTC's delegation to the contact group's meeting in Doha, Aref Ali Al Nayed that the Doha meeting was necessary to support the Libyan people in the current circumstances.
Al Attiyah who chaired the meeting said he expected a resolution to be issued Thursday by the UN Security Council to unfreeze $1.5 billion dollars of Libyan funds.
The request for unfreezing $5 billion will be addressed to the UN Security Council, the UN Sanctions Commission and to the European Union, Al Attiyah explained. This request should be fulfilled before Eid al Fitr, he added.
There is a mechanism for addressing the demand of the NTC which , he said, will present its own request that will be backed by the contact group.

Al Nayed thanked the State of Qatar for its "supportive and courageous position" towards the Libyan people's march to realize freedom.
He said the NTC delegation presented a request to the contact group to unfreeze $5 bn of Libyan assets abroad. He noted that the funds will be used as compensations for martyrs' families , rehabilitation of the injured , paying accumulating salaries, buying food, medicine and fuel and reinvigorating the Libyan economy. He said the funds are urgently needed and should be available before Eid Al Fit. In the meantime he said there will be strict controls for managing the funds.
Al Nayed said another meeting of the contact group will be held on Thursday in Istanbul , expressing the hope it will also help support the Libyan people.