NEW VISA RULES FOR BORDERING COUNTRIES LEAD TO EMPTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000053 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/19/2020 TAGS: PREL SMIG LY SUBJECT: NEW VISA RULES FOR BORDERING COUNTRIES LEAD TO EMPTY FLIGHTS, SHORT LINES AT LIBYAN PORTS OF ENTRY CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, US Embassy Tripoli, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) This week, Libya reportedly began enforcing legislation from 2009 requiring nationals from bordering states -- Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, and Tunisia -- to have valid work contracts with a Libyan employer or tourist visas issued at a Libyan diplomatic mission before entering the country. Businessmen must have a letter of invitation from a Libyan partner. Contacts in both the Algerian and Egyptian embassies report that while Libyan authorities instructed airlines of the change as early as January 12, no official notification has yet been made to diplomatic missions accredited to Tripoli. Travelers arriving by air from neighboring countries were previously allowed to enter the country with a passport and evidence of LYD 1000 ($813) to establish tourist status -- a loophole used by economic migrants to enter Libya without valid work contracts. Egyptian poloff expressed surprise at both the timing of the regulatory change and the lack of official notification. EgyptAir, he said, was notified by fax that the policy begain immediately, leading to a normally full flight departing Cairo at 20 per cent capacity. He believed that the southern neighbors were included to allow Libya to claim security grounds as the reason for the new enforcement without embarrassing Egypt and Tunisia, Libya's major overland trade partners, who he viewed the measure's true targets. He suspected that high-level talks between the Egyptian and Libyan governments would have to take place in order for the regulation to be waived, and posited that Tunis would likely develop a similar tack in response to Libya's action. ¶2. (C) Emboffs who visited the Libyan-Tunisian border January 15-17 observed that vehicular lines on both the Tunisian and Libyan side of the main Ras al-Jadiir border crossing, approximately 100 miles west of Tripoli, were significantly shorter than usual . Tunisian-plated vehicles, which normally line the road for several miles on the Libyan side, were notably absent, and lines at filling stations in Zliten -- where vehicles from both countries routinely take heavy loads of $.18/liter petrol before traveling the 10 miles to the Tunisian side, where gas sells for seven times the price -- moved quickly. While entering from Tunisia on January 17, poloff noticed no discernable upgrades to security or changed entry procedures for Tunisians -- though the unusually light traffic on the highway suggests that word of the regulation change had spread quickly and dissuaded travelers without proper documentation from attempting the crossing. ¶3. (C) Comment: Libya's sporadic enforcement of existing immigration laws is sometimes driven by political disagreements with neighboring countries. At other times, short periods of selective enforcement serve to upset the status quo enough to dissuade migrants from setting down firm roots in the Jamahiriya. The current regulations were enacted shortly before Libya hosted the July 2009 African Union Summit in Sirte, but enforcement was delayed after several neighboring countries protested. While the timing of the Libyans' re-implementation of the regulation may have been unexpected, the action itself should come as no surprise. Notably, Libya depends on foreign labor for its multi-billion dollar development sector, but it does not have efficient mechanisms for registering guest workers. Should enforcement of the new regulation continue for an extended period of time, both the Libyan economy and bilateral relationships with labor-providing neighbors are likely to deteriorate. End comment. CRETZ