RAF planes fly into Libya with emergency supplies – of cash

THE Royal Air Force has flown crates of freshly printed bank notes worth more than $1.5 billion into Libya which will be used to help its new rulers pay public workers and banks to replenish cash machines. The cash – 1.8 billion Libyan dinars – had been ordered from British printing company De La Rue by Colonel Muammar al- Gaddafi but Britain blocked its shipment last March in one of the first moves to put pressure on the ousted Libyan leader into easing a crackdown on public protests. It has since languished in a British safe while battle raged for control of Libya.

Libyan one dinar and 50 dinar notes feature a portrait of Gaddafi but it could not be immediately confirmed if the shipment included this design. The RAF was planning to hand over the cash to leaders of the National Transitional Council in their stronghold of Benghazi and will help to ease the flow of cash during celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan.

The United Nations sanctions committee agreed on Tuesday to release the notes following a request from Britain after the NTC took control of much of the country and Col Gaddafi went into hiding. The shortage of hard cash has been a problem throughout the conflict, with long lines often forming outside banks as people sought to take out their money.