COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR JOSE REYES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 QUITO 000563

SIPDIS

TOAPHIS 008
APHIS FOR JOSE REYES
LAREDO, TEXAS FOR APHISATT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR JOSE REYES

REF: USDA FAS 670389


1. Post welcomes and grants Country Clearance to Jose
Reyes, PPQ Officer, Laredo, Texas to Guayaquil and Puerto
Bolivar from March 2 to March 6, 2005 to vessel
certification. POC in Quito is Esteban Espinosa, APHIS
Specialist, APHIS (Embassy: 593-2-2549848, Cel: 593-9-497-
7133). Please read the following paragraphs carefully.

2. Effective June 1, 2004, all personnel transferring to an
overseas location under COM authority must complete
appropriate overseas personal security training prior to
travel.
Effective January 1, 2005, this same requirement will also
apply to American personnel requesting country clearance to
perform extended temporarily duty (TDY, defined as more than
30 days) at an overseas location.
It is the responsibility of the sponsoring office to verify
that this training has been completed.

3. Offices sponsoring TDY visitors must provide: name,
length of stay and clearance information to the RSO prior to
visitor's arrival and issuance of embassy badge.
Uncleared/non-official visitors must be escorted at all
times.


4. All passengers, U.S. and third country nationals, who
enter Ecuador on official travel require a visa. There is
an airport departure fee of USD 25.00 for departing
passengers using international flights. DOD personnel
participating in GOE-approved deployments and exercises, and
arriving with military orders, are exempt from the visa
requirement and may travel on military orders.


5. Each visitor, regardless of length of stay, must
bring/forward fiscal data to pay for direct costs of the
visit. Each agency, organization, or visiting delegation
will be charged for the actual costs attributed to their
visit. Direct charge costs include, but are not limited to:
American and LES staff overtime (e.g., expediter,
accommodation exchange, representational event support),
field travel-lodging and M&IE by Embassy employees, vehicle
rentals, long distance telephone calls, equipment rentals,
office supplies and all other costs that are directly
attributable to the visit. Also, for TDYers over thirty
(30) days, there is a charge for ICASS support services. If
your sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services
at post, please be prepared to sign a MOU for ICASS support
services upon arrival. The agency should provide post with
a written communication, generated by the traveler's
headquarters that confirms the agency will pay ICASS charges
for the TDYers, provides the agency ICASS billing code the
TDY support charges should be applied to, and authorizes the
traveler to sign the ICASS invoice generated by the TDY
module. Where travel is urgent, the TDYers should bring
this documentation with them to ensure there are no
interruptions in the provision of service. Post will not
provide any service to a TDYer staying in excess of thirty
days without provision of this documentation before day 31
of the TDY.


6. The State Department has designated Quito and Guayaquil
as critical for criminal threat. Usually, crimes are of a
non-violent nature such as pick pocketing, burglary of
personal effects, and thefts from vehicles. However,
violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery and car-
jacking are increasing throughout Ecuador, especially in the
urban areas. Sexual assault cases against visitors in beach
resort areas have occurred with regularity and none of the
beaches are considered safe to walk on at night.


7. In Quito, extreme caution should be taken in tourist
areas, transit points and crowded marketplaces, especially
on the crowded streets of south Quito, buses and trolleys,
the Panecillo (a city overlook point) and all transportation
terminals. For Guayaquil, caution should be taken when in
the downtown section of the city, with extra caution taken
while in the Malecon 2000 river front district, the docks
and airport areas. There have been many reports of luggage
theft at the airport.


8. To avoid being the victim of a crime, visitors should
remain alert to their surroundings and maintain constant
control of purses, backpacks, briefcases and luggage. Extra
care should be taken with belongings if traveling on buses
or trolleys. Do not place bags or backpacks under your seat
especially if they contain documents or money. The use of
some type of document pouch worn inside of clothing is
recommended. Expensive-appearing jewelry and watches should
not be worn. Poor road condition, free ranging animals,
unsafe vehicles and drivers dictate against night travel
outside urban areas.


9. Official visitors intending to travel into the Northern
border provinces are required to seek permission through the
RSO and DCM seven days prior to the planned travel. A
formal process is established for this request.


10. Travelers to the capital city of Quito may require some
time to adjust to the altitude (9,300 feet),which can
adversely affect blood pressure, digestion, sleep and energy
level. Most people, even those who are healthy and fit,
feel some symptoms of hypoxia (lack of oxygen) upon arrival
in Quito. Persons with medical conditions related to the
circulatory or respiratory systems, (high blood pressure,
history of coronary heart disease, emphysema, for example),
and anyone with sickle cell anemia, should ask their
physician if travel to Quito or other high-altitude
locations is advisable. U.S. government employees who do
not have a class I medical clearance are requested to check
with M/MED before planning travel to Quito. Diamox, a
medication commonly prescribed to aid with acclimatization,
is not generally required for travel to Quito. However, it
is advisable to limit physical activity and drink plenty of
nonalcoholic beverages for the first two to three days after
arriving in Quito.


Individuals with sickle cell trait should carefully consider
the altitude of Quito before commencing with travel. Short
term (TDY) assignments carry an added risk because of the
lack of time for acclimatization. Dehydration and stress
from exercise or illness compound the basic risks of high
altitude. For more information, contact your health unit or
the medical, clearances section of the Offices of Medical
Services.


11. Visitors receiving country clearance should be aware
that all interview requests, be they for backgrounding or on-
the-record statements, for USG officials are vetted through
PAS in Quito. For visiting FSNs, please be advised that
only requests for backgrounding or off-the-record context-
setting will be considered and that these requests must also
be vetted through PAS/Quito. If a journalist approaches you
for a statement/interview/reaction, please contact IO Glenn
Warren at (02) 250-2053, cell: 099-823-323 or Press
Specialist Renata Barragan at (02) 250-2053.

KENNEY