TELEGRAPH BLOGS – ROB CRILLY: The challenges facing Libya as it tries to build a new government after 42 years of Gaddafi rule were all on display at Benghazi airport last night. A huge RAF jet loomed out of the darkness carrying 40 tonnes of banknotes – 280 million dinars worth of crisp bills which had been printed in Britain, but seized aboard the Sloman Provider after her crew had decided not to proceed to Libya in the early months of the uprising.
The banknotes will be used to pay public workers, who have received only a fraction of their wages for the past six months. More importantly, it will add liquidity to an economy which has been in suspended animation during the uprising.
It was the first shipment of frozen cash to arrive back on Libyan soil. David Cameron himself had overseen the logistics, keen that Britain’s key role in backing the rebels was on display on the eve of the Paris conference today. Read on and comment » | Rob Crilly | Thursday, September 01, 2011
