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17:29 GMT
WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (KUNA) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on
Thursday said it was meeting with leaders of Libya's Transitional National
Council (TNC) to determine the needs of the country.
"There will be a meeting with the authorities shortly. I don't have a
specific date but it will be soon," IMF spokesman David Hawley said at a news
conference in Washington.
"The areas that we're discussing with the authorities are preparation of a
macroeconomic framework, assessment of the public financial management
capacity, estimation of financing needs, and assistance we might provide in
restoring the central bank's payment system and operations," he said.
The IMF estimates that Libya's gross domestic product has been slashed by
more than half this year amid an uprising that ousted Libyan leader Muammar
Qaddafi last month. The estimate matches the National Oil Company (NOC), which
puts current output at 530,000 barrels a day, compared with 1.7 million before
the conflict began in February.
TNC estimates normal oil production will resume by end-2012. (end)
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