End border mess, GCC urged

Dubai: The UAE has officially requested that the GCC mediate to help solve the problem of trucks backing up at the UAE border with Saudi Arabia.

"On Wednesday we received an official request from the UAE Federal Customs Authority, asking the Secretariat to intervene to solve the problem of the long queues of trucks at the UAE border waiting for clearance before crossing into Saudi Arabia," Mohammad Al Haif, Director of the Customs Union at the GCC Secretariat, told Gulf News.

Video: Stranded truckers speak out
Video: Trucks stranded at the border
Read in-depth report on border chaos

The 24km line of trucks waiting at Al Ghuwaifat border crossing has cost UAE trucking companies up to Dh120 million per month, according to Gulf News calculations. The line is reportedly 8,000 vehicles long.

Drivers used to earn Dh5,000 per trip, and used to make the trip five times a month, but they are now only able to make it twice a month, losing over half their earnings.

"We contacted Saudi Customs and they said they have no new instructions. However, they asked for an official inquiry, and we sent them an official letter," Al Haif said.

A Saudi spokesman told Gulf News a committee would be meeting soon to resolve the issue. He said this was a customs problem and not a passport issue.

Al Haif said he expected the issue would be discussed at a previously scheduled meeting between the Director General of the UAE Federal Customs Authority and his Saudi counterpart, to be held in Riyadh in the "middle of next week".

The truck issue comes amid reports of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the choice of Saudi Arabia as the site of the future Gulf Central Bank, instead of the UAE.

The UAE has not joined Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in their agreement on the common GCC currency.

Mohammad Al Mazroui, GCC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs, told Gulf News: "I don't believe there is any connection between the border issue and the UAE position with regard to the bank location."

"The build-up of trucks happens every now and then," he said. "There must be reasons for this and once we discover them, we will be able to solve the problem."

Al Haif dismissed speculation that the truck issue has a political background. Referring to the dispute, he said: "We did not see tension during the official meeting that took place last week of the joint committee that is responsible for the Customs Union."

With inputs from Abdulla Rasheed, Abu Dhabi Editor and Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter

The trucks can have a chip/barcode similar to the salik and these can be installed at the checkposts. CIPL should be entered correctly by the company in order to avoid pile ups. In this day and age everything should be electronic.
Meshell Dsouza
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 12, 2009, 12:52