COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO TREASURY ADVISOR

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000131 SIPDIS SIPDIS PASS TO TREASURY/IET/S. BRUKBACHER PASS TO WHA/CAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC OTRA AC BB XL SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO TREASURY ADVISOR CHARLES K. SCIARINI TO TRAVEL TO ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, AND BARBADOS REF: 091141Z JAN 06 ¶1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly grants country clearance to Treasury Advisor Charles K. Sciarini to travel to Antigua and Barbuda from January 22 - 30, 2006 and to Barbados from January 30 - 31, 2006. ¶2. Purpose of trip is to work with the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU)in Antigua and meet with NAS in Barbados. ¶3. Understand Embassy assistance is not required. If you have any questions, P O C is Patricia Aguilera, Narcotics Affairs Officer in Bridgetown, Tel. 1-246-436- 4950 ext 2232, Fax. 1-246-431-0262, Cell. 1-246-823- ¶3566. ¶4. Entry requirements: A valid U.S. passport is required to enter Antigua. No visa is required if your stay is under six months, including those travelers arriving with diplomatic or official passports. For further information, travelers may contact the Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda in Washington DC at 3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW 20016, Tel:202-362-5122 and fax: 202- 362-5225. Entry requirements: A valid U.S. passport is required to enter Barbados. No visa is required if your stay is under six months, including those travelers arriving with diplomatic or official passports. For further information, travelers may contact the Embassy of Barbados, 2144 Wyoming Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone 202) 939-9200. ¶6. Departure tax for Antigua is $50.00 EC or Eastern Caribbean currency or $19.00 USD. Departure tax for Barbados is BDS25.00 or USD19.00. ¶7. The following is general information pertaining to security and health considerations throughout the Eastern Caribbean: Security -------------- In the Eastern Caribbean, foot travel outside of well- established tourist areas is not generally recommended, especially at night. Be vigilant when using public telephones or ATM machines near roadsides or quiet areas. As in many U.S. metropolitan areas, wearing expensive jewelry, carrying expensive objects, or carrying large amounts of cash should be avoided. Visitors should also safeguard valuables while at the beach. While hotels are generally safe, many visitors have experienced loss of unattended items. Hotel burglaries are not uncommon and all valuables should be locked in room safes if possible. Health Information -------------- Throughout the Eastern Caribbean, the most likely threat to a visitor's health is sunburn. It takes several weeks to become accustomed to the heat and humidity. Prolonged exposure to the sun, without protection, causes sunburn and may ultimately result in sun-damaged skin or even skin cancer. Sunscreens should be used for protection. In Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent the major health threat is dengue fever, transmitted by mosquito. Dengue cases are most often seen in the summer months. Persons should therefore protect themselves with insect repellant. There is also a growing number of HIV/AIDS cases reported. The Eastern Caribbean enjoys clean and safe drinking water. Only routine boosters for immunizations (i.e. tetanus, diphtheria, and oral polio vaccine) are required when traveling to this region. Barbados has the best medical facilities of all the islands in the region and most of the medical specialties have practitioners here. KRAMER