TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF NIV SERVICES IN ASMARA

UNCLAS ASMARA 000997 SIPDIS SIPDIS LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS FRANKFURT FOR FRDCD DEPT FOR CA/VO, CA/EX AF/E AND AF/EX E.O. 12958 DECL: N/A TAGS: CASC CVIS PGOV PREL AMGT OFDP ER SUBJECT: TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF NIV SERVICES IN ASMARA REF: ASMARA 963 ¶1. As discussed reftel, beginning on December 4, non-emergency NIV services in Asmara will be temporarily suspended. The consular section will continue to provide full services to American citizens and, as possible, process immigrant visas. Due to staff shortages created by the refusal of the Government of the State of Eritrea to issue diplomatic visas to TDY staff, Asmara will not have a full-time consular officer for at least the month of December and part of January. Given that most Eritreans are unable to obtain exit visas to depart the country, post does not anticipate that the closure in Asmara will lead to a significant increase in applications at neighboring posts. ¶2. The current, full-time consular officer will depart post on December 2. Her replacement is scheduled to arrive February 8, ¶2007. The incoming consular officer has informed post that he submitted his visa application to the Eritrean Embassy in Washington on November 24 and post will be monitoring closely the status of this application. The first TDY consular officer, a retired FSO who was to provide consular coverage in December, was scheduled to arrive on November 29. After holding his passport for over one month, the GSE did not issue him a visa. A second consular TDYer is slated to come in mid-January from Cairo. He has informed post that his visa was submitted to the Eritrean Embassy in Cairo on November ¶18. Our ability to restart full NIV services in January or February will depend on the GSE's issuing of visas to our second TDYer and/or permanent consular officer. In the interim gap, the Political and Economic Officer, who serves as the back-up consular officer, will also provide American citizen and immigrant visa consular services. ¶3. The following press release was disseminated through the Embassy website, American Center and consular section to the general public. An abbreviated version was forwarded to the Ministry of Information with a request to publish the notice in the state-run media. At least one international news service has reported on the temporary closure as well based on the public notice. Begin text: U.S. VISA SERVICES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED The U.S. Embassy in Asmara, Eritrea, advises that effective December 4, 2006, non-immigrant visa services will be temporarily suspended pending permission from Government of the State of Eritrea for U.S. diplomatic personnel to travel to Eritrea to provide these services. Non-immigrant visa services will resume as soon as possible after the Government of the State of Eritrea issues the necessary visas to U.S. consular officers to travel to Asmara. The U.S. Embassy's consular section will continue to process immigrant visa requests as possible and provide full services for U.S. citizens in-country. End text. DeLisi