Will a country with a strong economy sell its gold? Will a country without cash be able to buy Gold?

Gold is the real money and its posession by countries is the lifeblood against which Loans and debts are steered by central banks. As you can see in the info below. To prevent the world economy from going up in flames, the Central Banks of the world forced a ceiling on selling of Gold by countries That is called the Central Bank Gold Agreement (CBGA) whose first version was signed on 26 September 1999. 

CBGA is similar to control on extraction of sap from a rubber tree. Only limited cuts are made so as to prevent major damage to the tree to enable regular tapping of sap for producing rubber.

The agreement has remained in controversy. As we can see in this post in 2011:

Despite sales in the region (Europe) drying up, it’s widely expected the agreement is here to stay. It provides a controlled and coordinated approach for central banks in the gold market in Europe, and gives industry participants at least some broad certainty that tons of gold–especially amid the current turbulent economic climate–won’t be flooded onto the market, analysts say.

Central banks remain independent from the governments of their countries and, as such, their holdings are largely ring-fenced outside of very exceptional circumstances, senior participants say. Disposing of the “family jewels” is also a very negative signal to be sending out to world markets, they add.

Ref: http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2011/09/19/debate-grows-over-central-bank-gold-agreement/

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Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Agreement_on_Gold

Back in 1999, the Netherlands announced under the Central Bank Gold Agreement (CBGA1) that it would sell 300 tonnes of gold during the next five years, but only managed to sell 235 tonnes. 

Under CBGA2 (2004/2005 –'08/'09) it said it would sell a total of 165 tonnes (which included the 65 tonnes left over from CBGA1), and it announced no sales under CBGA3 (from 2008/2009 – '13/'14).

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-largest-gold-reserves-2013-4?op=1#ixzz2Xj1L78ZC

In May 2000 the country began selling 1,300 tonnes of what it considered to be surplus gold. Under CBGA1 1,170 tonnes were sold, and 130 tones were sold under CBGA2. Switzerland has announced no plans to sell gold under CBGA 3.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-largest-gold-reserves-2013-4?op=1#ixzz2Xj1DKNfa

France sold 572 tonnes of gold under CBGA 2, and outside of the agreement France transferred about 17 tonnes to the Bank for International Settlements in late 2004 as part purchase of BIS shares. France announced no plans for sales of gold reserves under CBGA 3.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-largest-gold-reserves-2013-4?op=1#ixzz2Xj19sIOi

Germany sold gold under CBGA 1 and 2 for the purposes of minting commemorative gold coins. In the first year of CBGA3 (2008 - 2009), the Bundesbank sold approximately 6 tonnes, and it has sold 4.7 tonnes of gold since September 7, 2011. There haven't been any changes in Germany's gold holding of late, but the Bundesbank announced in January that it was going to repatriate all of its physical reserves at Paris and the New York Fed.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-largest-gold-reserves-2013-4?op=1#ixzz2Xj10p4Kw

In 2011, the Bank of Japan sold gold to pump ¥20 trillion into the economy to calm investors after the tsunami and nuclear disaster.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-largest-gold-reserves-2013-4?op=1#ixzz2Xj0XDClr

"Portugal raised around $1 billion during the 1975-77 financial crisis from the BIS [Bank for International Settlements], Bundesbank and Swiss National Bank, the bulk of which was secured by pledging a proportion of the country's gold reserves. Most recently, in 1991 India used its gold as collateral for a loan with the Bank of Japan and others."
Ref: http://goldnews.bullionvault.com/gold-bullion-italy-collateral-bond-050220131

World Gold Council often sells gold without disclosing the buyer.  A Reuters news report read:
"To date, 212 tonnes of gold have been sold by the IMF in off-market transactions and the April edition of the (IMF's International Financial Statistics) reported a 5.62-tonne reduction in IMF holdings," the WGC said in a report.
Ref: http://gata.org/node/8578
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Gold holdings of countries  

http://drkhalid.blogspot.in/2013/05/gold-holdings-of-countries-and.html

Also see WHY banks are so sensitive for gold :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyV0OfU3-FU&list=PL325E6BD1A38F6627&index=2 

China buying Gold to be safe. Should we too? Gold has saved countries in crises in the past ! :

http://drkhalid.blogspot.in/2013/06/china-buying-gold-to-be-safe-should-we.html