From Crossfire to Ceasefire
We all see the news items flashing across our screen.… “William Hague attends the opening of the British Embassy in Tripoli”, “Hillary Rodham Clinton pledges millions of dollars”, “Libyan revolutionary forces celebrate liberation”, but how is the every day person coping on the streets of Tripoli? ;
How would you cope if it was you living in that war torn land?
So what of the Tripoli Fairgrounds?
Our sources on the ground tell us that there have been meetings regarding forthcoming exhibitions. They are waiting for the Government to appoint a Chairman for the Tripoli Fairgrounds before more progress can be seen.
Show Carriage are in close contact with the developments and in December last year, Liz Croxson was interviewed for a special feature article on Libya entitled Looking back, moving forward. Read the full Special Report here.
Here is our latest information:
Food has returned to the shops. Basic foods and some luxury goods can enter Libya through the ports which are now open. Trucks from Tunisia and Egypt also bring much needed supplies to the people.
Fuel is also back at the pumps allowing much needed freedom to the citizens of Tripoli to go about their daily chores.
The banks are also open and - thanks to England - 1.7 billion Dinars are in those banks allowing daily limited withdrawals to customers.
It is a fact that England is not renowned for its exports and it is strange to think that the bank notes now in use in Tripoli today could have the words "made in England" printed on them.
Back in March 2011 the British Government crippled Muammar Gaddafi's attempt to fund his faltering regime by impounding nearly £1 billion worth of Libyan Dinars which had been printed under contract by a British firm. Around 50% of the world outsource some portion of their bank note printing needs. It is known that Singapore, Finland, Sweden, Bahrain and Qatar outsource all their needs.
The British Embassy opened its doors at a temporary site in October 2011 with a new ambassador installed. The Union Jack was raised out of the ashes of the old Embassy. Mr Hague said the reopening of the embassy marked "a watershed" in Britain's relations with Libya.
