Welkom has contributed 21% to the free world's gold sales.

The loan would be repaid with five years of gold sales, the papers said.

"There's been a complete lack of offerings" of gold sales, he said.

The band released its self-titled debut in 1999 to critical praise and certified gold sales.

Last year, gold sales to the state plunged 40 percent on 1992, the first fall in 15 years.

The gold sales funded a like-for-like purchase of financial instruments in different currencies.

Between 1982 and 1984, when Moscow had less need for extra cash, gold sales averaged less than 100 tons a year.

Last year, net gold sales of central banks reached 599 metric tons.

The threat of gold sales by the world's central banks has had a negative impact on the price of gold over the last several years.

The practice has become so widespread that it makes proposed gold sales by central banks look like peanuts.