Rome Meeting Sets in Motion Mechanism to Fund Libyan Rebels
An international coalition pledged on Thursday in Rome to fund Libyan rebels in the hopes of ending the stale mate in their fight against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.
The conference, attended by about two dozen NATO and Arab nations, plus international organizations, was held to discuss ways to put more pressure on Gadhafi’s regime and eventually topple it. The money will come from Gadhafi's own coffers via a request for the “partial unfreezing of blocked funds in banks or financial institutions to make available the basic necessities of Libyan population,” said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. Frattini said that $250 million is already available to help the rebels. More will is likely to come when the assets are unfrozen.
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