LIBYA: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini meets Libya's de facto Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril in Tripoli for a series of talks
Record ID:
588907
LIBYA: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini meets Libya's de facto Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril in Tripoli for a series of talks
- Title: LIBYA: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini meets Libya's de facto Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril in Tripoli for a series of talks
- Date: 1st October 2011
- Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (SEPTEMBER 30, 2011) (REUTERS) WIDE EXTERIOR OF ISLAMIC CALL CENTRE ARMED SECURITY OUTSIDE MEETING VENUE EXTERIOR OF VENUE VARIOUS OF MEETING BETWEEN ITALIAN AND LIBYAN DELEGATIONS ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI SMILING LIBYAN DE FACTO PRIME MINISTER MAHMOUD JIBRIL SPEAKING TO OTHERS AT MEETING MORE OF MEETING
- Embargoed: 16th October 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Libya
- Country: Libya
- Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA46LDM00WKBS71WXYOFPWNRUS1
- Story Text: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini arrived in Tripoli on Friday (September 30) for a series of meetings with Libya's interim leaders.
After arriving at Tripoli's Mitiga airport where he met wounded fighters loyal to Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC), Frattini went to the Islamic call centre where he met Libya's de facto Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril.
Italy, once Libya's closest ally in the West, froze around 7 billion euros ($9.7 billion) of Libyan assets as part of sanctions against Muammar Gaddafi.
Earlier this month, Frattini said Italy is looking to unblock 2.5 billion euros ($3.39 billion) of those funds but last week an Italian Treasury source said a European Union decision to ease a freeze on assets of several Libyan entities has not effectively unblocked Libyan stakes in Italian companies.
The EU said that frozen funds from entities would be released "for humanitarian and civilian needs", meaning stakes in Italian companies such as UniCredit, Finmeccanica, Juventus, Retelit and ENI will only be freed once a new EU regulation cancels the one voted for in the wake of the NATO's intervention.
Libyan entities affected by the freeze include the Libyan Central Bank, the Libyan Investment Authority, the Libyan Foreign Bank and the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio.
Libyan investors own some 7.5 percent of Italy's biggest bank, UniCredit, around 1 percent of oil and gas group Eni and some 2 percent of aerospace and defence group Finmeccanica.
Italian oil and gas group Eni is Libya's biggest foreign oil operator, producing about 270,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2010.
Libya provides about 12 percent of Italy's gas needs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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