Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BRASILIA674
2006-04-06 19:58:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Brasilia
Cable title:  

COUNTRY CLEARANCE APPROVAL FOR CODEL SPECTER (APRIL 2006)

Tags:  OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN SENV TBIO KSCA OTRA BR 
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VZCZCXRO4947
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0674/01 0961958
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061958Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5037
INFO RUEAHQA/OSAF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 6701
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 1838
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 4579
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 0138
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3679
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 2930
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000674 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR H AND RM/F/DFS/FO/AA/CAA
STATE FOR WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN SENV TBIO KSCA OTRA BR
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE APPROVAL FOR CODEL SPECTER (APRIL 2006)

REFS: (A) STATE 52607, (B) STATE 52608

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000674

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR H AND RM/F/DFS/FO/AA/CAA
STATE FOR WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN SENV TBIO KSCA OTRA BR
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE APPROVAL FOR CODEL SPECTER (APRIL 2006)

REFS: (A) STATE 52607, (B) STATE 52608


1. Mission welcomes and grants country clearance for CODEL Senator
Arlen Specter, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee (SJUD),to visit
Brasilia and Manaus, Brazil, April 12-15, 2006, in order to meet
with heads of State and evaluate matters of concern to the Senate
Judiciary Committee, especially in the areas of counternarcotics and
drug interdiction, immigration, and the environment. A meeting is
being scheduled to discuss foreign affairs issues with Brazilian
interlocutors. Mission understands that spouses have been authorized
to accompany the CODEL for reasons of protocol and that the CODEL
will travel via MiAir.


2. Visitors are reminded that all US citizens traveling to Brazil
for any purpose require visas, which must be obtained in advance
from a Brazilian Embassy or Consulate. "Airport visas" do not exist,
and immigration authorities will refuse entry to anyone without a
valid visa. All Brazilian visas are considered invalid regardless
of validity if not used within 90 days of issuance.


2. POINTS OF CONTACT

-- Overall control officer for this trip is Science Counselor
Patricia Norman. Any questions concerning this trip should be
directed to:

Science Counselor Patricia Norman, cellular phone (55)(61)
9965-1439, tel (55)(61) 3312-7432 (office),fax (55)(61) 3312-7646
(Embassy/Science Section),(55)(61) 3364-6447 (home),Unclassified
Email NormanPD@state.gov
Transportation in Brasilia and Manaus will be provided as
requested.

POC for Brasilia Program is Science Officer Matthew Golden,
cellular phone (55)(61) 9674-8062, tel. (55)(61) 3312-7432 (office),
fax (55)(61) 3312-7646 (Embassy/Science Section),(55)(61) 3248-1563
(home),Unclassified Email GoldenMB@state.gov

POC for Manaus Program is Science Counselor Patricia Norman.


4. ACCOMODATIONS

Hotel reservations were made as requested at BLUE TREE HOTEL in

Brasilia from April 12-13, and at ARIAU TOWERS HOTEL in Manaus (AM)
from April 13-15, 2006.

IN BRASILIA (Distrito Federal):
Blue Tree Hotel, located at SHTN (Setor Hoteleiro Norte),Trecho 01,
Lote 1B, Bloco C, Brasilia;
Telephone (55) 61 3424-7000, Fax 55 61 3424-7001;
Blue Tree Hotel is within per diem and breakfast is included.
-- Daily rate is approximately US$ 300.00 for the suit (Senators).
-- Daily rate is approximately US$ 175.00 for standard rooms for
staff.
Hotel latest cancellation without penalty to the CODEL should be
made at least 48 hours before date of planned arrival.

IN MANAUS (Amazon):
Ariau Amazon Towers/Manaus, located at Rua Leonardo Malcher 699,
Centro, Manaus;
Telephone (55) (92) 3234-7308, (55) (92) 3232-4160, (55) (92)
3622-5000, Fax (55) (92) 3233-5615;
Hotel rate cost for two days will be US$ 218.00 including breakfast,
lunch, and dinner (all meals),boat and ground transportation.
Hotel latest cancellation without penalty to the CODEL should be
made at least 48 hours before date of planned arrival.


5. Visitors should be current with all immunizations required for
Brazil. Those arriving from flights that do not originate in the
United States are advised to ensure that their yellow fever
vaccination is up to date, and that they have their WHO yellow cards
with them to prove it. If you require a yellow fever vaccination
and it is for the first time, not a booster, it should be given at
least 10 days before travel to be effective. Please consult with
appropriate medical authorities before traveling.


6. Please find below information needed for the cities to be
visited:

- Brasilia -
The United States Embassy in Brasilia is located at Avenida das
Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, telephone number (from U.S.)
011+[55](61) 3312-7000, fax number (from U.S.) 011+[55] (61)

BRASILIA 00000674 002 OF 003


3312-7676. Emergencies and calls after normal business hours may be
directed to Post One at 011+[55](61) 3312-7400.

Manaus (AM) is within the district of the U.S. Embassy Brasilia.


7. Persons entering Brazil under the USG auspices have an important
role to play in strengthening U.S. - Brazil cooperation. Please
keep this priority in mind during your visit and inform the Embassy
or nearest Consulate promptly of any opportunities or problems that
arise. As a result of the imposition of biometric enrolment of the
US-VISIT program, the Government of Brazil started fingerprinting
and photographing arriving U.S. citizens in January 2004. Present
GOB policy is not to fingerprint U.S. travelers arriving on official
or diplomatic visas. It is possible, however, that official
visitors could be asked to submit to a fingerprinting through
administrative error. The Embassy hopes that visitors will comply
with reasonable requests from the Brazilian immigration authorities.
Any unusual delays or unreasonable treatment should be brought to
the attention of the Management Officer so they can be relayed to
the GOB. Full cooperation with the identification procedures is
advisable.

--------------
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
--------------


8. Please find below some information on Administrative procedures
and requirements:


A. 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 its visit. Direct charge costs include, but are
not limited to:

-- American and LES overtime (for such services as airport
expediting, cashier accommodation exchange, control room staffing,
representational event support);
Travel and per diem costs incurred by post personnel in support of
visitor's field travel;
-- Rental of vehicles and other equipment;
-- Long distance telephone calls;
-- Office supplies;
-- Gasoline and other vehicle maintenance costs;
-- Departure tax and other airport fees.

Post will not provide service if fiscal data is not provided for the
direct charges.


B. For TDYers remaining at post over 30 days, there is a charge for
ICASS support services. This charge is for the following ICASS
services and will be billed thru the ICASS TDY module, based on a
per-capita-basis, prorated for the length of stay. For example, a
TDY visit by one USG employee of 06 months' duration would be
counted as 0.5:
-- Basic Package;
-- Community Liaison - CLO;
-- Health Services.


C. If your sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services at
post, please be prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
document 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 TDYer. The communication should include the agency
ICASS billing code to which the TDY support should be charged and
authorize the traveler to sign the ICASS invoice generated by the
TDY module. Agencies will not be billed until the accumulated
invoice cost for TDY support exceeds Dols 2,500 for the fiscal year.
Where travel is urgent, the TDYers should bring this documentation
with him/her 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.

--------------
THREAT ASSESSMENT
--------------


9. Crime is the principal and real threat to visitors to Brazil.
The crime threat level in Brasilia, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, Sao
Paulo, Curitiba, and Recife is critical. Armed street robberies are
common in these cities. The area in and around the hotel sector in

BRASILIA 00000674 003 OF 003


Brasilia is extremely dangerous, especially at night. Embassy
visitors have been robbed under gunpoint while walking on the
street. Taxis and private vehicles should be used to move about.


10. In addition, individuals and organizations with ties to
extremist groups operate in the tri-border area between Brazil,
Paraguay and Argentina - this includes the Iguacu falls area.
Official visitors contemplating travel to this area should contact
the Embassy before doing so, as well as Embassy Asuncion and/or
Embassy Buenos Aires if they plan to cross into Paraguay and/or
Argentina.


11. Visitors should practice common sense preventative security
techniques, just as they would in any large city in the world. Some
of the more important tips that you should follow to avoid becoming
a crime victim are:

-- Do not carry or wear valuable items that will attract the
attention of thieves. If you need to wear expensive jewelry or
carry a camera; conceal it until you arrive at your destination.

-- Be aware of the street environment and avoid contact with those
who may be looking for robbery targets. Seek a safer location. Go
into a store, bank or simply cross the street.

-- Do not physically resist any robbery attempt. While this is a
personal decision, statistics show that resistance leads to injury.

-- Do not answer your hotel room door until you positively confirm
who is on the other side. Look out the peephole, or call the front
desk to confirm the visitor.

-- Do not walk on the beaches after dark. Assaults are common.

-- Avoid city buses. Many pass through high crime areas and are
susceptible to robberies.


12. Visitors who intend to bring U.S. Government portable
microcomputers into the Embassy or Consulate must obtain prior
approval from the systems manager and the RSO/PSO. The use of
privately owned computers is discouraged in any government
facility.

CHICOLA