COUNTRY CLEARANCE: SEC Official: Alton Harvey

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005200

SIPDIS

STATE PASS SEC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN OTRA FR
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE: SEC Official: Alton Harvey

REF: STATE 139276


1. Country clearance is provided for Alton Harvey, U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),to travel to
Paris, France August 3-5, 2005. The purpose of travel is to
attend a meeting of the Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
Working Group of the Joint Forum.


2. Embassy Paris point of contact is Economic Counselor,
Kenneth Merten, who can be reached by phone at
33.1.43.12.27.24 or by email at . He
can also be reached through the Embassy switchboard at
33.1.43.12.22.22.


3. Per REFTEL, no Embassy assistance has been requested.


4. Your point of contact will contact you if needed to
notify you of any special security concerns/considerations
for France. In the event of a crisis or serious
international incident involving the United States, you
should immediately contact your control officer.


5. Mission Media Policy: In accordance with Embassy Paris
media policy, visitors from all agencies should coordinate
all media events, including press interviews or statements,
with the Embassy press officer.


6. Embassy wishes to remind visitors that visas are required
for holders of U.S. diplomatic or official passports on
official business in France.


7. Action request: Each visitor must bring a copy of their
travel orders (or forward fiscal data) to cover costs of
visit. Each agency, organization, or visiting delegation
will be charged for the actual costs attributed to their
visit. These costs include, but are not limited to,
American and FSN overtime, field travel by Embassy
employees, vehicle rentals, long distance telephone calls,
equipment rentals, representational events and all other
costs that are directly attributable to the visit. Airport
pickup is provided only for employees at the rank of
Assistant Secretary or above. Other visitors should take
taxi, Air France bus, or rapid train service (RER) from
airport.


8. Following is current security information for France:

(A) Terrorism: The current terrorism threat in France
mirrors the general worldwide threat. Trans-national terror
groups such as al-Qaida likely have a presence in France and
do present a general threat. French law enforcement and
intelligence services are effective in responding to this
threat and remain in a heightened state of alert, but cannot
completely negate it. For this reason American citizens
should practice good personal security when visiting France.
Remaining unpredictable is perhaps the simplest but most
effective way of ensuring personal safety. This is
particularly true when departing or arriving at your place
of residence. Being aware of your surroundings and
suspicious persons or activities is also critically
important. Do not accept packages, do not open hotel doors
to strangers and immediately report any suspicious
activities to the police (telephone 17) and Regional
Security Office (telephone 33.1.43.12.27.96).

(B) Crime: Street crime in French cities is similar to that
in most large metropolitan areas. The two most frequent
crimes are pick pocketing and snatch/run theft. These
criminals most often ply their trade on public
transportation routes used by tourists and at tourist sites.
In Paris, visitors should be particularly alert when using
Metro lines number one and two, in addition to the RER
trains serving the airports. Tourist sites such as the
Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the major museums and the Avenue
des Champs Elysees are all areas of heavy activity.
Visitors should use hotel safes whenever possible to store
valuables and excess cash. Awareness should go up when
conditions are crowded. Maintain control of camera and
bags; do not carry these items behind you. Criminals on
metros often push into you for distraction and pickpocket
while doing so. Another technique is to grab valuables and
escape just as the metro doors are closing. If credit cards
are stolen, proceed to the nearest telephone and immediately
notify the card issuer. Stolen credit cards are used
immediately. Whenever possible, take a seat or keep your
back to a wall when on the metro system. It is also
recommended that a photocopy of your passport identification
page be carried in lieu of the passport itself. Report any
incident to the Regional Security Office as soon as
possible.

(C) Electronic devices: privately owned laptops and personal
computers are prohibited in controlled access areas (CAAs)
of the Mission and consulates. Cellular telephones are also
prohibited in the CAA and must be left outside this area.
Questions concerning other types of electronic devices may
be directed to the Information Management Office or Regional
Security Office.

(D) Travelers planning to stay longer than 30 days are
required to schedule a security briefing with the RSO. For
additional threat assessment information regarding France
and/or Europe, you may contact DS/ITA in the State
Department at (202) 663-0787.


9. Health Concerns: For up-to-date information on Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS),Mad Cow Disease and other
health precautions for France, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) website contains a detailed analysis of risks
involved at: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases.htm

Wolff