COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR TREASURY

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000317 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC OTRA SNAR BB SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR TREASURY ADVISORS SCIARINI AND DAVIDSON TO TRAVEL TO ANTIGUA REF: SECSTATE 203109 ¶1. Embassy Bridgetown grants country clearance to Mr. Sciarini and Mr. Davidson for travel to Antigua March 5- 10, 2006. The purpose of travel is to meet with the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) and the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP). ¶2. Mr. Sciarini and Mr. Davidson will make their own hotel reservations. No further Embassy assistance is required. Point of contact is Ms. Patricia Aguilera, Narcotics Affairs Section Director, (246) 436-4950, ext ¶2232. ¶3. 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. ¶4. Departure tax for Antigua is XCD$50.00 or US$19.00. ¶5. 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 facilities 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 the aedes aegypti mosquito. Dengue cases are most often seen in the summer months. Persons should therefore protect themselves with insect repellent. 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, pertussis 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