LEBANON: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR APHSCT TOWNSEND

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 003457 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016 TAGS: IS LE PGOV PREL PTER SY SUBJECT: LEBANON: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR APHSCT TOWNSEND REF: A. A. WHITE HOUSE 182323Z OCT 06 ¶B. B. WHITE HOUSE 251853Z OCT 06 ¶C. C. JOINT STAFF 251627Z OCT 06 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Christopher W. Murray. Reason: Sectio n 1.4 (a). ¶1. (C) Embassy Beirut grants country clearance and welcomes the visit of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism Frances F. Townsend, Director for Combating Terrorism Todd M. Hinnen, Aide to APHSCT Michael Taylor, and Assistant to APHSCT John H. Pearson to Beirut on November 3, 2006. Control Officer for the visit will be Edward Messmer. Telephone numbers are as follows: Embassy 961-4-543600, office ext. 432, home ext. 233, and cell phone 961-70-101798. ¶2. (C) In response to refs A and B, Embassy Beirut has arranged all transportation and has scheduled meetings with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Elias Murr, Director General of the Internal Security Force General Ashraf Rifi, and Minister of the Interior Ahmad Fatfat. A detailed schedule and scenesetter, along with biographic material on these officials, will be sent to your office. We understand from ref C that APHSCT Townsend will arrive and depart form Beirut International Airport, and her schedule is limited to the timeframe 0900Z - 1500Z. ¶3. (U) Action request: Originating office is requested to forward fiscal data to Embassy Beirut to cover the security costs of the visit. These costs may include, but are not limited to, American and FSN overtime, field travel by Embassy employees, transportation costs for official vehicles, security costs, and other expenses that are directly attributable to the visit. Due to the security environment, visitors should be aware that travel off the compound will involve several vehicles and security personnel. ¶4. (U) Action request: Visitors should obtain Lebanese entry visas before arrival. Please advise post if visitors' passports have Israeli entry/exit stamps. ¶5. (U) The agencies of all TDY personnel will be charged for actual bodyguard services rendered from the date of arrival at a rate that has been calculated in accordance with Diplomatic Security Act, 22 U.S.C. 4805 requirements. ¶6. (U) Security Assessment: Beirut remains a critical-threat post for terrorism. This rating reflects the assessment of all foreign affairs agencies at post. Americans assigned to the Embassy are required to live on the fortified compound. Travel to certain areas for unofficial purposes is forbidden; for example, travel is not permitted to the southern suburbs of Beirut or to Palestinian refugee camps. No Executive Branch employee may meet in any location with any officials of designated terrorist groups who may have representatives in Lebanon. Since early September, all official visitors may use Beirut International Airport, however, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has not assessed the security capabilities of this facility, and no U.S. carriers are permitted to operate in Lebanon. ¶7. (U) Weather/dress: Beirut's weather is currently cool, with a good chance of daily rain showers. Western business attire is appropriate for all official meetings. ¶8. (U) More detailed security information will be provided upon arrival. MURRAY