COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUEST FOR HHS/CDC GERARDO

UNCLAS MADRID 002069

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OTRA US SP CDC
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUEST FOR HHS/CDC GERARDO
GARCIA-LERMA

REF: A. ATLANTA GA 01805

B. ATD # 2398


1. Embassy welcomes and grants country clearance to Gerardo
Garcia-Lerma, Senior Fellow, NCHSTP, CDC, HHS, to travel to
Madrid, Spain from June 16-19, 2005. The purpose of this
trip is to present, "Drug Resistant HIV-1 and Viral Fitness"
at the 1st Symposium of the Spanish Retrovirus Working Group.


2. Embassy understands no additional assistance is required.


3. Visitors are reminded that bearers of diplomatic and
official passports coming to Spain on official business need
to obtain a Spanish visa prior to arrival to Spain.


4. THREAT ASSESSMENT:

In general, Spain is safe. However, Madrid, Barcelona and
other large cities in Spain --including resort/convention
areas such as Benidorm-- attract a large number of criminals
and pickpockets and frequent incidents of crime of
opportunity against the unwary do occur. Carry only
essential items including a photocopy of your passport's
photo page. Visitors can protect themselves against crime by
being street-smart, alert and aware of their surroundings.
In the event you are victimized by crime, or experience any
security-related incident, please contact the Embassy's
Regional Security Office at 91-587-2550 or after hours at
91-587-2355. Official visitors to the Embassy in Madrid or
the Consulate General in Barcelona are encouraged to receive
a security briefing from the RSO office at their earliest
convenience. Additional information regarding safety and
security in Spain is available on the U.S. Department of
State's website (www.embusa.es).

Travelers are encouraged to review the most recent Worldwide
Caution issued by the Department of State. As the Department
of State continues to develop information on any potential
security threats to Americans overseas, it shares credible
threat information through its Consular Information Program
documents, available on the Internet at
http://travel/state.gov. In addition to information on the
Internet, U.S. travelers can hear recorded information by
calling the Department of State in Washington, D.C. at
202-647-5225 from their touch-tone telephone, or receive
information by automated telefax by dialing 202-647-3000 from
their fax machine.

MANZANARES