COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR HARRY PONTING AND

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 002271 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AINF PGOV PINR OTRA CI SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR HARRY PONTING AND ROBERT SUTTER FOR NOVEMBER 13-23, 2005 REF: A. SECSTATE 201628 ¶B. SECSTATE 99654 ¶1. Embassy Santiago welcomes and grants country clearance to Harry Ponting, RM/IRP, and Robert Sutter, Net-Centric Project, Embassy Asuncion, to travel to Chile from November 13-23, 2005 to assist in implementing Post's Net-Centric Diplomacy (NCD) biographic files project. Contact point for your visit or any pre-visit coordination is DCM OMS Wendy Taylor, e-mail: TaylorW@state.gov, office telephone number: (562) 330-3337, mobile number: (562) 09-159-7424, home number: (562) 243-5220. The Embassy's 24-hour number is: (562) 330-3700/3321. ¶2. Both travelers are traveling with official or diplomatic passports. Mr. Ponting has obtained a diplomatic or official entry visa. Employees with diplomatic or official passports must obtain a diplomatic or official entry visa through a Chilean Embassy overseas or CA/PPT/SIA in Washington. Travelers using tourist passports do not need visas, and may enter on tourist cards filled out on the airplane. Travelers with tourist passports are required to pay a one-time fee of USD 100.00 each to enter Chile. ¶3. Post has arranged a private airport transport service through the authorized Embassy travel agent, Turavion. The transfer service driver will meet each passenger at the left hand side (near the cafe and AFEX exchange counter) as you exit from the airport customs area. The driver will be holding a sign with the traveler's name. The one-way fee for service to the Embassy or nearby hotel is currently about 14,000 pesos or USD 25.00 payable directly to the driver, who will issue a receipt to the traveler (for travel voucher). Please advise if your flight time changes so we may notify the driver. ¶4. Hotel reservations have been confirmed at the Inter-Continental Hotel, Ave. Vitacura 2885, Las Condes, Santiago. Hotel telephone is (562) 394-2000 and fax is (562) 394-2075. The hotel is less than two blocks' distance from the Embassy. The rate is USD 120 (within per diem) with breakfast included and 19 percent value added (IVA) tax exempted. Harry Ponting's hotel confirmation number is 7773; Robert Sutter's confirmation number is 7772. Travelers to Santiago should be aware that local hotels routinely charge an extra 50 to 100 percent of a room's cost for early check-ins (before 15:00) or late check-outs (after 12:00 noon). Due to scheduled flight times, this frequently applies to individuals traveling to/from the U.S. Please notify us if you desire an early check-in or a late check-out, and ensure travel authorization covers the additional charges. ¶5. Post notes that visitors have security clearances and will arrange Embassy access in advance. Please bring State Identification Card/building pass to facilitate access to the Chancery. ¶6. State Department TDY Visitors requiring OpenNet-Plus Systems access during their stay should inform the control officer prior to their arrival. Visitors will be required to attend a Systems Security briefing and complete a Network Access Request Form. Santiago's State Department Systems Access Request Form can be found through following Intranet link: http://10.185.192.3/help/Form.html. The completed form must be submitted to the State Information System Center (ISC) through the visitor's Control Officer. If visitors wish to access email from their home State Department post, users must provide the ISC with the fully qualified domain name or the TCP/IP address of the TDYer's home e-mail server. ¶7. Personnel who intend to bring USG portable microcomputers (laptops) for use in CAA or non-CAA areas must notify Post's ISSO and RSO in advance of travel. Personal Electronic Devices (PED),Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) e.g. Palm Pilots, MP-3 players, etc. are NOT authorized in CAA spaces and are not authorized connectivity within OpenNet unclassified or classified networks, or stand-alone SIPDIS classified PCs. Please refer to 03 STATE 286036 for detailed guidance regarding Post's Information Systems Security requirements. ¶8. Travelers are reminded that Santiago's Public Affairs Section is responsible for handling all in-country press arrangements for both Mission personnel and official visitors. Media inquiries or requests for interviews made directly to the visitor during the course of a visit should be directed to the embassy press Attache, John Vance, telephone: (562)-330-3350. Where contact with the media would serve to promote USG interests, Public Affairs will work with visitors prior to their arrival to determine the desired level of coverage, provide up-to-date media guidance, and make appropriate arrangements for contact with the press. On-site Public Affairs staff is also available to assist visitors and delegations at meetings where media coverage is anticipated. ¶9. Cash Exchange: At the airport, Banco Edwards and AFEX (Exchange House) have money exchange facilities located on the ground floor customs area as you leave the terminal. The Embassy has a 24-hour ATM machine which can access any U.S. account served by the local bank. Currency received is Chilean pesos at the current rate of exchange. You are urged to bring an ATM card to post since this is the most convenient and economical way to change money. ¶10. The Embassy has a small commissary/gift shop available to official visitors. ¶11. The climate in Chile is temperate, but milder than that of Washington. The seasons in Chile are opposite those in the northern hemisphere. Summer (December, January, February) temperatures vary between 49 degrees (morning and evenings) and 85 degrees during the day. November is similar to June weather in Washington with evenings substantially cooler than the days. ¶12. All areas of Santiago are affected by a high index of pollution, although the area around the Embassy has slightly better air quality than the more congested areas in the city. Pollution levels rise to unacceptable levels (pm-10 levels of 240 mcg/m3) on an average of five to six times per year. The major health effects include difficulties with breathing and aggravation of existing respiratory, cardiovascular, allergic and asthmatic problems. This is particularly true for the elderly and children, and for those with confirmed asthmatic and allergic symptoms. Contact lens wearers sometimes find their eyes are more easily irritated here. The most severe pollution occurs during the months of May to October. ¶13. The intensity of the sun is particularly pronounced in Santiago. Travelers should travel with good sunglasses, hats and sunblock if they anticipate pending much time outdoors. ¶14. In order to drive a vehicle in Chile, you must have an international driver's license. Failure to adhere to this may result in arrest and confiscation of the rental vehicle. ¶15. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, there is a possibility for violent actions against United States citizens and interests throughout the world. We urge all Embassy personnel and visitors to Chile to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to reduce potential vulnerability. ¶16. The Embassy has advised in a Warden message to Americans in Chile that extremists in the Tri-border area (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay) may have received instructions in mid-October 2000, to begin efforts to collect information on U.S. business persons and government officials in the southern cone of South America. This information would be used to prepare contingency plans for possible kidnappings or attacks in the event the terrorist strike in the southern cone. We take this information very seriously. Because of the Embassy's special visibility, we urge all personnel to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to reduce potential vulnerability. ¶17. Visitors should be aware of the criminal environment in Santiago, which is rated medium for USG employees. Street crime, common to many South American cities, is a problem. One should be particularly alert in the business/commercial crowded areas. We recommend visitors: --Be attentive to your surroundings--people, vehicles, parcels, etc. --Maintain a low profile particularly in busy tourist areas. --Vary routes and times for all required travel. --Treat mail or other deliveries from unfamiliar sources with suspicion. --Be circumspect about information you provide about yourself to strangers or in the presence of strangers. KELLY