The Italian government is working with Eni SpA (E) and UniCredit SpA (UCG.MI) to provide the Libyan rebels with a "massive amount" of gasoline and money, said Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini Tuesday.
The Italian government is working with Eni SpA (E) and UniCredit SpA
(UCG.MI) to provide the Libyan rebels with a "massive amount" of
gasoline and money, said Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini Tuesday.
"We make a commitment together with Eni and UniCredit to sustain the needs
of the Libyan population via the TNC [Transitional National Council] with a
massive amount of gasoline and a very large amount of money: hundreds of
millions of euros," said Frattini at a press conference in the Libyan
rebel stronghold of Benghazi, according to the Italian newswire Ansa.
A foreign ministry spokesman confirmed Frattini's comments.
According to recent reports, the rebels have used up their stock of crude oil
and need resources in their fight against the forces of Colonel Moammar
Gadhafi. The fighting started in mid-February with the rebels controlling the
eastern part of the North African country, while pro-Gadhafi ones control most
of the West.
This aid will be guaranteed from the assets tied to Gadhafi's regime which have
been frozen by the Italian government under a United Nations resolution, said
Frattini.
The assets frozen are worth billions of euros and act as a
"guarantee" for the financial assistance
Italy
will
provide the TNC, said the Italian minister at the press conference to present
the memorandum of understanding signed with the
Libya
rebels.
The next meeting of the so-called contact group dealing with
Libya
, set
for June 9 in
Abu Dhabi
, will
focus on how to go about unfreezing the Gadhafi assets to the benefit of the
Libyan population, said Frattini.
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