WHERE HAVE ALL THE SIGNS GONE?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000658



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STATE FOR NEA/MAG; STATE PLEASE PASS USTR; LONDON AND PARIS FOR

NEA WATCHERS; COMMERCE FOR NATE MASON; ENERGY FOR GINA ERICKSON



E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/12/2019

TAGS: ECON, EFIN, PGOV, EPET, LY

SUBJECT: WHERE HAVE ALL THE SIGNS GONE?



REF: TRIPOLI 212



TRIPOLI 00000658 001.2 OF 002





CLASSIFIED BY: Joan Polaschik, Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy

Tripoli, Department of State.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) Summary: A Libyan Government attempt to enforce a 2007

decree specifying requirements for shop signs and advertisements

has stirred confusion within the main commercial areas of

Tripoli recently, as businesses have torn down or covered up

their signs in an effort to avoid taxation. Shops located

outside Tripoli's commercial centers, as well as those in other

cities, have managed to maintain their original signs. In true

Jamahiriya ("state of the masses") fashion, there is little

clarity on either the goal of enforcing the decree or on the

compliance process. Expatriate business owners believe the

sudden rush to cover up signs is due solely to GOL preparations

for the 40th anniversary of Qadhafi's revolution, and they

expect the situation to return to normal after September 1. End

summary.



WHERE DID ALL THE SHOP SIGNS GO?



2. (SBU) Several weeks ago, signs on shops in Tripoli suddenly

began to disappear, with the fashionable shopping area along

Gagaresh Street particularly hard hit. Many clothing stores,

high-end furniture stores, and restaurants now appear nameless.

Only pharmacies and private dental clinics are still displaying

their signs. The sign removal campaign appears to be focused on

Tripoli, at least for the moment. On a recent drive through

Zouera, the last large town on the coast before the Tunisian

border, Econoff did not see any shops without signs or with

signs covered-up.



SIGNS BEING REMOVED DUE TO 2007 DECREE



3. (C) The sign removal campaign appears to be the result of a

recent GOL attempt to enforce a 2007 decree (Number 504)

outlining requirements for advertising and promotional signs and

billboards. The decree stipulates that all words and figures on

signs and billboards be written in Arabic and "must not conflict

with the achievements, logos, or purposes of Qadhafi's

revolution." Businesses must receive clearance of sign content

from the General People's Committee for Culture and Information

(Ministry of Culture/Information-equivalent) prior to displaying

their signs. Furthermore, said signs and billboards must not

violate "public decency and morals." The decree also lists

complicated size and registration requirements but does not

clarify annual fee calculations. Finally, the decree warns that

all signs in contravention of these rules will be removed at the

owner's expense ten days after the notification of the

violation. The Lebanese manager of a new cafe told us that the

expatriate business community believes this formerly obscure

decree is being enforced solely in preparation for the 40th

anniversary of Qadhafi's revolution. He fully believes that

businesses will be allowed to return to business as usual after

the September 1 festivities.



BUSINESS OWNERS SCRATCH THEIR HEADS...



4. (C) A variety of businesses have been caught up in the frenzy

to abide by the sign decree. The owner of an exercise equipment

business told Econoff that he had applied for permission to

display his sign three months ago. Even so, the commercial

inspector for his area directed the sign to be covered up. The

owner commented that the sign was in Arabic, not in English, so

he did not understand why it had to be covered; he attributed

this action to the whims of the individual commercial inspector.

While the lack of a sign has not greatly affected his business,

the owner commented that having a sign would make it easier for

new customers to find his shop.



5. (C) Emboffs have observed no discernible consistency to the

application of the decree. Along a primary business avenue,

some signs remain, as do the names of shops that are affixed

directly onto the front of stores (such as on the local outlet

for Mango apparel). Even the Starbucks look-alike sign for a

local coffee shop, Caracalla coffee, has its name (in English)

painted directly onto its front window. On a popular block

containing a string of inexpensive carry-out restaurants,

however, employees had no idea why their signs had been removed.

A new Chinese carry-out restaurant's sign had displayed the

name of the restaurant in English, Chinese, and Arabic script,

but the sign was abruptly removed without explanation. After

the sign was taken down, the creative staff clandestinely taped

a small sign written in Chinese and English to their window,

reading "Chinese Take-Away." An Egyptian cook at the barbeque

restaurant next door believed that the row of restaurants was

slotted for demolition by a government actor wanting to take

over the land to build something new in the prime business



TRIPOLI 00000658 002.2 OF 002





location.



6. (C) Even private offices have been affected by the sign

removal campaign: a Libyan oil services company had displayed a

sign on a main road for their office that is located on a nearby

side street. Even though their sign was in Arabic, it was torn

down and thrown into a gutter. The manager of the company

commented that he did not know how to seek permission to replace

his sign. In terms of the effect on their business, another

employee noted that most visitors already knew the location of

the office and any newcomers would find it according to

landmarks or directions. (Note: There are no real addresses or

prominently marked street names in Tripoli - thus, the removal

of shop signs renders the entire city nameless. Most Libyans

find new locations according to well-known landmarks, and many

local Embassy contacts seem to be apathetic about the absence of

signs, simply explaining it away as one of the many bizarre

aspects of living under the Qadhafi regime. End note).



...WHILE BILLBOARDS ABOUND



7. (C) In contrast to the preponderance of nameless stores in

Tripoli, the 2007 decree does not seem to apply to the removal

of billboards, as many new billboards have appeared with

advertisements for consumer goods, in Arabic and also in

English. A preponderance of the new billboards feature new

images of Qadhafi, in celebration of the upcoming anniversary of

his 40 years in power (on September 1). One billboard is

particularly colorful, featuring the flags of Africa along the

borders with Qadhafi - the "king of kings of Africa" - as the

centerpiece.



8. (C) Comment: While the practical effects of the sign removals

on Tripoli businesses may be somewhat limited, the haphazard

implementation of the 2007 sign and billboard decree is yet

another example of the hoops the small private sector must go

through here in their daily operations. One Libyan businessman

commented the latest sign removals are simply another measure to

keep people "off balance" and make them wonder what hindrance to

businesses may be coming next. The willy-nilly enforcement of

the sign law may be a means for commercial inspectors to extract

"fees" from business owners, in an operating environment that is

known for graft at all levels of the government. It remains to

be seen whether implementation of this decree will prove to be

yet another barrier to doing business or whether creative

shopkeepers, such as the Chinese take-away owner, will be able

to maintain business via alternative means of marketing their

products. End comment.

POLASCHIK