CAIRO: For more than 20 days, Adel Ben Halim, a Libyan businessman living in Egypt, has been seeking government approval for the Red Crescent to transport 20 aid vehicles into Libya through the Salloum crossing.
But according to a two-year-old agreement between customs authorities in the two countries, known as Regulation 25, no goods are allowed to enter Libya by land unless they are made in Egypt.
Ben Halim, along with Libyan donors from around the world, has been trying to get communication devices such as satellite mobile phones and two-way internet modems inside Libya.
Egyptian authorities respond by saying it is out of their hands, and the options are to either get a letter of approval from Libyan customs or ship the devices into Libya via air or maritime transport.
"How can we get approval from Libyan customs when they no longer exist? How come I must get a letter of approval from [Libyan President Muammar] Qaddafi allowing aid into Libya," Ben Halim said.
"Egypt thankfully allows food and medical supplies but communications in Libya are cut off and people need communication to distribute aid. There is no way we can deliver them by air or sea," he added.
Ongoing battles between rebels and Gaddafi forces have left many Libyan cities under a blockade with some facing water cuts and electricity outages.
Qaddafi’s naval forces closed off Libyan harbors while a UN imposed no-fly zone hindered air traffic from and into Libya, leaving thousands of Egyptians trapped inside Libyan cities.
Ben Halim said while officials express solidarity, no one is able to make a decision, adding that donors have tried both legal and illegal channels, trying to use connections with officials.
To get his trucks inside Libya, Ben Halim went to the foreign ministry but was asked to get approval from the Arab League, which he managed to secure and sent the letter to the ministry, where it should be delivered to the prime minister. However, they cannot get an appointment with the PM because he can only meet with the Libyan ambassador to the Arab League.
"People are dying there everyday, Qaddafi is a goner but he thinks that if he kills more people, he can live another day," Ben Halim said.
"If Egypt can’t make an exception in these circumstances, when will they do it?" he added.
Salem Abdel Rahman, a Libyan living in Dubai, came from the Emirate with communication devices, arriving at Borg Al-Arab Airport; but had to return with his aid to Qatar in order to deliver it through a newly-opened route.
Qatar opened Thursday a direct flight route to Tobruk near the Egyptian border and is allowing aid through. However, Libyan donors are not organized and cannot be organized, according to Ben Halim, to rent private jets and deliver aid to Tobruk.
"I am sad that Egypt isn’t helping us in this matter while Qatar is," said Ben Halim, who was born to an Egyptian mother and has been doing business in Egypt for the past 20 years.
He said they now rely on other means, although not to their liking, and that they have received a lot of help from Egyptians as individuals. Still, they await help from the government in order to ease the flow of aid.
