£2.5bn Aid to Libya

[rov1100]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14645856

Why are taxpayers from Western countries including Britain givng this aid to Libya when they are holding onto £bns confiscated from the Gaddafi regime?

[scotman]

Oil. Also to prevent any 'undesirable' groups filling the hole that has just been created.

[Gromit]

Because last time we engineered a coup there, a dictator stole power for 40 years. And we don't want the same to happen this time, hence we are funding the mechanism for a transitional Government. Otherwise it will have all been a waste of time and lives like Afghanistan.

[sandyRoe]

Was King Idris so bad that a young Colonel Gaddafi was thought better?

[askyourgran]

No wonder everyone wants to come here, they think money comes out of our ears. The money confiscated from the regime should be used to help the country.
I wonder if the powers that be have weighed up the options now that Gaddafi is no longer in power. There is still a lot of tribal differences there. Who will govern? I think it will take a long time before that country becomes settled.

[Gromit]

SandyRoe

He was a bit of a dragon.

[ichkeria]

It wouldn't really be "aid" would it if we deducted it from their own money.
I suspect this money will repay itself - Libya is a wealthy country, or will be once its rulers stop nicking all its money. It isn't Somalia or Eritrea.

[ichkeria]

"Was King Idris so bad that a young Colonel Gaddafi was thought better? "

Well, the young Colonel Gaddafi obviously thought he was better. He wasn't short on self-confidence :-)

[bazwillrun]

If I'm not mistaken this "aid" is actually frozen assets that they are asking to be released.

It wont be long before the new lot are getting their grubby mits on the oil revenues and we'll then be seeing joe arab jumping up and down on their picture etc yawn.....

[ichkeria]

Correct: the money they want is from unfreezing the assets. So, strictly speaking, not really "aid" at all.
At least now the money will get ploughed back into the country and the people, which was not happening before, unless you were "special" :-)

[TTG]

"At least now the money will get ploughed back into the country and the people, which was not happening before, unless you were "special" :-) "

I just hope seeing those billions coming does not change the leaders into "special people".