The leader of Libya's rebel government warned on Thursday of dangerous destabilization in the country without urgent financial assistance from the West to restore services to the population. According to Reuters, Mahmoud Jibril spoke after meeting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who said Rome had started unfreezing 350 million euros of Libyan funds in Italian banks to help the rebel government run the state affairs.
Berlusconi stated the move was a first step in a broader attempt to unblock all Libyan assets in Italy. "The biggest destabilizing element would be the failure of the (rebel) National Transitional Council to deliver the necessary services and pay the salaries of the people who have not been paid for months," Jibril said.
"Our priorities cannot be carried out by the government without having the necessary money immediately," he conveyed.
