Egypt has reportedly raised transit fees for trucks crossing the Libyan-Egyptian border by four percent last week without prior warning. As a result, Jordanian trucks en route to Libya were left stranded at Nuwiba in the Sinai Peninsula for three days, reported The Middle East Times.
Nadir Thahabi, Jordanian minister of transportation, said that the move would surely have detrimental economic effects on Jordan. He maintained that as merchants would try to offset the rise in transportation costs, the price of Jordanian goods on Libyan markets would most likely hike. This in turn would ultimately lead to a weakening of Jordan’s competitive edge over Libyan goods.
The Minister added that Jordan was prepared to respond in kind, raising fees for Egyptian trucks at Jordanian borders. Nearly 100 Jordanian trucks make the 5000-kilometer long journey from Jordan to the Libya each month.
Earlier this week MENL reported the Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi is due to visit Egypt in October seeking to forge closer ties between the two countries. The neighbors, who have often been at odds, reopened their border for transport in 1989. — (Mena Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
