LIBYA IMPOSES NEW CURRENCY REQUIREMENT FOR TOURISTS

UNCLAS TRIPOLI 000006

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS CMGT CASC PREL PGOV LY
SUBJECT: LIBYA IMPOSES NEW CURRENCY REQUIREMENT FOR TOURISTS

REF: 07 TRIPOLI 987


1. (SBU) Post received January 3 a copy of a note sent from the
GOL's Civil Aviation Committee to airlines announcing that as of
7 January, all tourist visa holders -- except bearers of
Egyptian and Tunisian passports -- will be required to present
USD 1000 or the equivalent in another convertible currency as a
requirement for entry to Libya. On January 6, the Consular
Section was able to confirm with the MFA's Head of Consular
Affairs, Ahmed Ameish, that the law would take effect January 7.
Ameish stated that travelers checks, bank statements and
credit cards would not/not be accepted; the requirement is for
"currency". (Note: The Egyptian and Tunisian Embassies have
confirmed that their citizens are not/not subject to the new
requirement. End note.)

2. (SBU) Similar to the passport translation requirement
(reftel),this law has apparently been on the books for a number
of years, but was not enforced in the recent past. Ameish
provided no reason for the change.

3. (SBU) Foreign airlines (British, KLM, Swissair, Lufthansa)
indicate that they will not/not be checking currency holdings at
the time of check-in at European airports. As in the case of
the passport translation, it is not clear to us, other
diplomatic missions or the airlines how the currency requirement
will be implemented. We will likely only obtain a clearer
picture over time as the parameters of who is turned back shape
up. The U.K. and Italian Embassies are advising on their
respective Foreign Office websites that citizens from their
countries traveling on tourist visas comply with the new rule.

4. (SBU) The Embassy received notification of this requirement
via a copy of the Civil Aviation notice that was sent to
airlines, which Swissair forwarded to us. We received no
notification from the GOL. We learned from the U.K. Embassy on
January 6 that the Libyan People's Bureau in Rome notified EU
embassies there about ten days ago that the new requirement
would be implemented. The EU Embassies in Tripoli learned about
the currency requirement shortly after the New Year's holiday
from their counterparts in Rome and have since met in Tripoli to
discuss options for engaging the GOL.

5. (SBU) Comment: There is considerable speculation as to the
reasons for implementation of the rule. The U.K. and Italian
missions are convinced that the new strictures will be broadly
applied; the German and Dutch missions have insisted they will
not apply to European and North American travelers. Citing
unconfirmed reports, the latter contend that the strictures are
designed to prevent more sub-Saharan African guest workers from
entering Libya. While it is not clear which sub-Saharan Africans
are able to enter Libya visa-free and which obtain tourist visas
on arrival, the Civil Aviation note specifies that even citizens
of countries exempted from entry visa requirements are subject
to the new rule (except, again, Egyptians and Tunisians). As
with the passport translation issue, the MFA was unable to
articulate any reason for the currency requirement (beyond that
it was already on the books),nor did it provide any advance
notice to missions in Libya. Both changes will be enforced by
Immigration, rather than the MFA's Consular Affairs Department.
End comment.

MILAM