By IANS,
The Hague : Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said the Netherlands will unfreeze $2 billion worth of Libyan assets, and is willing to offer its expertise in the detection of mines and explosives in Libya, Xinhua reported.
“It is of utmost importance to get the Libyan economy up and running,” Rutte said Thursday before leaving for Paris for a “Friends of Libya” conference.
The $2 billion worth of assets is about half of a total of $4 billion the Netherlands froze in March to keep them away from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Analysts believe a total of $70 billion euros (around $100 billion) of Libyan funds are currently frozen worldwide.
Mahmoud Jibril, leader of the Libyan rebel National Transitional Council, has said Libya needs around 3.5 billion euros to pay wages, repair oil installations and keep facilities running.