PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
UNSC orders Libyan funds frozen in Belgium
Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - Some Libyan funds (14 billion euros), placed in banks in Belgium during Muammar Gaddaffi's regime, has been frozen on the instruction of the UN Security Council.
According to official sources, the UN instructions followed the tragic death in 2011 of Libyan politicians during NATO and French air raids.
The sources said, however, that the frozen credits in Belgium have created an incident between the federal government, led by the French-speaking liberal Charles Michel (MR Reform Movement) and Prince Laurent, King Philippe's brother.
Prince Laurent has accused the government of doing nothing to allow him recover from the Libyan government the 50 million euros that his NGO invested in a project to reforest part of the immense Libyan desert, following an agreement signed by the NGO and the Libyan officials.
At the time, Prince Laurent went on a working visit to Libya to plant some trees in the desert. What is complicating the matter is that part of the interest generated by Libyan funds has been unfrozen by government decision.
This decision allowed Belgian private companies that have signed contracts with Gaddafi's government to be compensated, but not NGOs, in this case Prince Laurent's, which specialises in reforestation projects.
Prince Laurent vehemently denounces this "injustice" and the matter is now being debated in the Belgian Federal Parliament.
What is complicating it is that the now minority government after the departure of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA, ministers could not settle the dispute between King Philippe's brother and the Belgian federal government.
-0- PANA AK/BEH/MTA/VAO 31Jan2019
According to official sources, the UN instructions followed the tragic death in 2011 of Libyan politicians during NATO and French air raids.
The sources said, however, that the frozen credits in Belgium have created an incident between the federal government, led by the French-speaking liberal Charles Michel (MR Reform Movement) and Prince Laurent, King Philippe's brother.
Prince Laurent has accused the government of doing nothing to allow him recover from the Libyan government the 50 million euros that his NGO invested in a project to reforest part of the immense Libyan desert, following an agreement signed by the NGO and the Libyan officials.
At the time, Prince Laurent went on a working visit to Libya to plant some trees in the desert. What is complicating the matter is that part of the interest generated by Libyan funds has been unfrozen by government decision.
This decision allowed Belgian private companies that have signed contracts with Gaddafi's government to be compensated, but not NGOs, in this case Prince Laurent's, which specialises in reforestation projects.
Prince Laurent vehemently denounces this "injustice" and the matter is now being debated in the Belgian Federal Parliament.
What is complicating it is that the now minority government after the departure of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA, ministers could not settle the dispute between King Philippe's brother and the Belgian federal government.
-0- PANA AK/BEH/MTA/VAO 31Jan2019
