Gaddafi’s men try to sell assets

A senior UK official said a number of other Libyan embassies are understood to be carrying out “fire sales” to raise money for the “cash-strapped” regime in Tripoli.

The official also claimed that Gaddafi was “increasingly desperate” to secure fuel for his armed forces and the situation could reach a “tipping point” soon.

Britain announced last month that it was recognising the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya’s only legitimate government and would expel the remaining Tripoli regime diplomats.

A source said Gaddafi’s UK envoys tried to sell cars and “anything that wasn’t nailed down” in the embassy in Knightsbridge, west London, before it was reopened by the NTC on Tuesday.

It is not known how much they managed to raise, or whether they kept the money or sent it back to Tripoli.

The senior British official said: “The pressure is starting to tell.”.

He added: “We know that this is making Gaddafi increasingly desperate for fuel to run his armed forces. This may reach a tipping point soon.”

The official admitted that the Nato-led military campaign against Gaddafi had not been “as swift as we would have liked”.