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DE RUEHEG #0786/01 1071416
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INFO RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1604
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0218

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000786 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y - INFO ADDEES ADDED 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM ECON EG LY
SUBJECT: EGYPT BALANCING EMPLOYMENT, ILLEGAL MIGRATION WITH WORKERS 
IN LIBYA 
 
REF: A. 2007 TRIPOLI 106 
      ¶B. TRIPOLI 6 
      ¶C. TRIPOLI 38 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, not for Internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (U) This is a joint US Embassy Cairo-US Embassy Tripoli message. 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary:  Egyptians have long sought economic betterment by 
working - usually illegally - in Libya.  Although constantly 
changing Libyan labor restrictions resulted in the return of some 
Egyptian workers to Egypt in 2007, we have not seen a drop-off in 
the rate of Egyptians seeking work in Libya.  Libya is both a 
destination and a transit country for migrants, including Egyptians, 
seeking to illegally travel to Europe for work, and labor issues are 
consistently discussed between Egyptian President Mubarak and Libyan 
leader Qadhafi.  In order for the GOE to mitigate criticisms that it 
fails to provide sufficient work at home or to protect its citizens 
abroad, it must balance between encouraging employment in Libya, 
which helps Egypt's unemployment problem, and discouraging those who 
would illegally travel to Europe.  End summary. 
 
Egyptians Seek Higher Salaries in Libya 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Approximately one million Egyptians -- half of Libya's 
undocumented migrant population -- live and work in Libya, drawn by 
its geographic proximity, relatively higher wages, and modest cost 
of living.  Our informal conversations with Egyptians indicate that 
a taxi from Cairo to the Libyan border costs only about EGP 250 (USD 
45), slightly less than the average one month's salary for 
working-class Egyptians, though according to Libyan contacts a taxi 
from Tripoli to Cairo can cost as little as LD 25 (USD 20).  Most 
Egyptians working in Libya are not highly educated and work mainly 
in construction, retail, restaurants, hotels, and domestic services, 
according to press reports and Libyan contacts.  Remittances from 
Egyptian workers in Libya are an important part of income for many 
Egyptian families: recent media reports indicate that remittances 
from Libya to Egypt amount to USD 382 million annually. 
 
Egyptians Face Legal Challenges in Libya 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Libya's constantly changing and arbitrary labor laws make 
it virtually impossible for a foreigner, including an Egyptian, to 
work legally in Libya.  In February 2007, a senior Libyan official 
announced an expansive crackdown on foreign workers (ref A).  The 
Libyan government subsequently changed its procedures for issuing a 
work visa, requiring all applicants to provide a formal work 
contract, to pay insurance, and to produce a health certificate from 
a Libyan medical facility; in addition, applicants for work visas 
had to prove (retroactively) that they entered Libya legally.  On 
January 7, 2008, Libya imposed additional requirements on 
"population-exporting countries," excluding Tunisia and Egypt, that 
require certain foreigners coming to Libya as "tourists" (i.e., not 
on regular work contracts) to arrive with at least USD 1,000 in cash 
(ref B).  In January 2008, Libya announced broad plans to arrest and 
deport all foreign workers "immediately"; however, according to 
Egyptian sources in Libya, Libya failed to follow through on the 
threat (ref C). 
 
¶5. (SBU) According to the Egyptian press, Libya's new taxes and 
registration fees on Egyptian workers amount to about LD 115 (USD 
98) monthly.  Immediately after enactment of these new rules, about 
35,000 of the estimated one million Egyptians in Libya returned to 
Egypt, according to the Egyptian press.  (Note: Embassy Tripoli 
considers this a low estimate, as in February and March 2007 many 
hotels, restaurants, and shops in Tripoli closed because of a lack 
of Egyptians to work in them, and the price of a taxi ride to Cairo 
jumped ten fold to LD 250 - about USD 200 - amidst reports of mass 
arrests and deportations.  End note.) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Also contributing to the precarious situation of Egyptian 
workers in Libya has been the uncertain status of the 
Libyan-Egyptian land border.  According to Egyptian diplomats in 
Tripoli, Libya closed the land border to most passenger traffic for 
several months in late 2007; consequently, Egyptians were forced to 
pay to fly back and forth from Libya.  After briefly reopening in 
early 2008, the Libyan-Egyptian land border is currently open only 
for cargo traffic.  Libyan officials reported that the closure of 
the land border, coupled with erratic work visa requirements, has 
prevented additional Egyptians from traveling to Libya to work but 
has done little to encourage Egyptians already in Libya to return 
home. 
 
Libya Jumping-Off Point for Illegal Migrants 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Libya is a prime departure point for Egyptians illegally 
migrating to Europe, particularly Italy. 60 percent of all illegal 
 
CAIRO 00000786  002 OF 002 
 
 
immigrants who reach the Italian coast are Egyptian nationals, 
according to a 2007 EU Commission Report, a trend that has remained 
consistent over the past five years.  Libya cooperates with Egypt to 
reduce the number of Egyptians trying to transit through Libya to 
Europe, though Libyan efforts to control its maritime border have 
been largely ineffective.  For instance, our informal discussions 
with working class Egyptians reveal that Egyptian border guards 
require Egyptians to present proof of a work contract in Libya in 
order to exit Egypt.  Additionally, Libya deports Egyptians 
attempting to illegally reach Europe. 
 
Labor Discussions Rise to Presidential Level 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) Egyptian labor in Libya is a major issue in discussions 
between Egyptian President Mubarak and Libyan leader Qadhafi, and 
during Qadhafi's most recent visit to Cairo in January 2008 he 
agreed to exempt Egyptian workers from the USD 1000 entry 
requirement.  A bilateral Egyptian-Libyan labor committee, headed by 
the Egyptian Minister of Manpower and his Libyan counterpart, is 
charged with following up on labor issues between the two countries. 
 The two agreed in January 2008 on provision of 2,800 new jobs for 
Egyptians in Libya during the year, according to the Egyptian 
press. 
 
Egyptians Critical of Government Response 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) The Egyptian government has widely publicized its efforts to 
arrest and prosecute smugglers who have facilitated Egyptian illegal 
travel to Europe, particularly as the migrants face dangers and 
sometimes death on the journey.  An Egyptian court sentenced 18 men 
on January 29 to five years in prison for their role in organizing a 
boat crossing for illegal migrants in which at least 21 people 
drowned off Italy in November 2007.  Many in the Egyptian public 
seized on this incident as one in a long line of examples 
demonstrating the GOE's inability to protect its citizens. 
 
¶10. (U) Many Egyptians had a similar reaction to the case of nine 
Egyptians sentenced to death in Libya for murders they committed in 
Libya in the late 1990s, something that received widespread local 
media coverage.  Although several of the execution sentences were 
commuted after the Egyptians agreed to pay about EGP 100,000 (USD 
18,000) in "blood money" to the families of the deceased, two of the 
Egyptian convicts were executed due to their failure to pay. 
Egyptian press commentaries have asked why the government was unable 
or unwilling to pay such a paltry sum to spare Egyptian lives, or at 
least to extradite the criminals to Egypt. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Egyptian officials are walking a fine line on labor in 
Libya.  Encouraging workers to travel there employs some of Egypt's 
large population of unskilled and semi-skilled unemployed workers. 
However, it also has the potential to facilitate travel of Egyptians 
attempting to illegally reach Europe, and exposes the government to 
criticism for its lack of ability to employ Egyptians at home or to 
protect them abroad. 
 
¶12. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
SCOBY