COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR ADOLFO A. FRANCO AND DAVID

UNCLAS MADRID 003629 SIPDIS FOR USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID OTRA SP SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR ADOLFO A. FRANCO AND DAVID MUTCHLER REF: A) STATE 188739 B) TELCON PRO-MUTCHLER 10-14-2005 ¶1. Embassy welcomes and grants country clearance to Aldolfo ¶A. Franco, Assistant Administrator, and David Mutchler, Senior Advisor for Cuba, to travel to Madrid, October 24-29, to attend the Cuba Conference sponsored by The University of Miami. ¶2. Embassy Points of contact are Jennifer Pro and Ken Forder in the Economic Section. Jennifer can be reached at 34 91 587 2388, cell: 34 669 273 669 email:projk@state.gov. Ken can be reached at 34 91 587 2385, cell: 34 650-622-420 email: ForderK@state.gov. ¶3. Per telcon, Embassy Madrid (Ken Forder and Administration Section Expeditor Aurelio Sevillano) will pick up Mr. Franco and Mr. Mutchler from Barajas International Airport in Madrid on Tuesday, October 25th at 8:55 am. ¶4. Visitors are reminded that bearers of diplomatic and official passports coming to Spain an official business need to obtain a Spanish visa prior to arrival to Spain. ¶5. 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. AGUIRRE