COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION (MCC) VISIT TO TRAVEL TO MOZAMBIQUE

VZCZCXRO9842
RR RUEHLMC
DE RUEHTO #1081/01 2361304
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241304Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP 0076
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5925

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MAPUTO 001081 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
MCC FOR SGAULL 
AF/S FOR HTREGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMCA, EAID, ECON, OVIP, AFIN, OTRA, MZ 
SUBJ: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MILLENNIUM 
CHALLENGE CORPORATION (MCC) VISIT TO TRAVEL TO 
MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP 463 
 

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Departure: 15 September 2006



Jolyne Sanjak, Director, Property Rights & Land Policy

Arrival: 10 September 2006

Departure: 15 September 2006



David Ameyaw, Director M&E

Arrival: October (TBD) 2006

Departure: October (TBD) 2006



Celeste Tarricone, USAID Detailee

Arrival: October (TBD) 2006

Departure: October (TBD) 2006



Elizabeth Cordaro, Procurement Advisor

Arrival: 10 October 2006

Departure: 21 October 2006



Please advise as soon as possible regarding any

schedule or itinerary changes; refer to para 8

regarding visa requirements.



2. Control Officer:





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John Wysham, Chief Econ/Commercial Officer at the

Embassy, will be control officer. He can be contacted

at:



-- Office telephone: (258) 2149-27-97, ext.3425

-- Office fax: (258) 2149-35-74

-- Cellular: (258) 82-315-7170



3. Hotel Reservations:



Post has made hotel reservations at the Hotel Avenida. The

rate for a single room is USD$110.00, which includes a

breakfast buffet. Maputo per diem is currently USD$224.00

(lodging USD$146 and meals/incidentals USD$78). The hotel

accepts U.S. Dollars or South African Rand; Diners Club,

VISA, MasterCard, or American Express credit cards for

payment of hotel bills.



The hotel can be contacted at:



-- Telephone: (258) 21 49-10-01

-- Fax: (258) 21 49-14-80

-- E-Mail bookings@hotelavenida.co.mz



Reservation Policy: Hotels charge for no-shows and most will

debit one day's room rate for no-shows and reservations

canceled with less than twenty-four hours' notice prior to

arrival. Therefore, advance planning and prompt notification

of changes well in advance of the twenty-four hour limit are

necessary otherwise such charges will be assessed to the

intended traveler. Please contact your control officer

promptly with details of any changes.



Expeditor will pick-up and drop off at airport. All

other logistical requirements have been arranged.



4. Briefing by RSO on Security Situation:



Please see para 9 below. Foreigners have been crime

targets recently. TDY visitors staying longer than two

days must come to the Embassy for a security briefing

from the Regional Security Office shortly after

arrival. Guidance will include helpful do's and don'ts

about walking around Maputo, dangerous areas in the

city, use of taxis, etc.



5. Medical Services:



Maputo has limited medical facilities. Visitors will

have to be medevaced in the event of a major injury or

illness. In the past, we have had visitors nearly die

because details of their medevac insurance were not

readily available. Post is therefore very strict in

not granting country clearance unless we are assured

that the traveler is adequately covered if a medevac is

required.



Post has been provided the required medevac

Information.



6. Consular Registration:



All TDY visitors spending more than two work days in

Maputo are required to register with the Consular

Section in the Chancery to ensure that the Mission has

current emergency contact information for each visitor.



7. Financial Matters:



With the exception of the main hotels in Maputo,

Mozambique is essentially a cash economy. Credit cards

are of limited utility. Vendors will accept U.S.

dollars (or South African rand) in lieu of the local

currency, the metical. For a day trip to Maputo, we

recommend visitors bring with them USD 100 in cash for

spending money. Dollars can be exchanged at any bank

or currency exchange facility. Embassy Maputo

recommends against the use of travelers' checks, as

transaction charges are uniformly high. Please note

that Embassy Maputo will need fiscal data in the event

that extensive services or goods are required during

the visit. There are no currency import/export

restrictions in affect at this time. The American

Express credit card is accepted by Mozambican Airlines

(LAM).



Please note that charge limits are in effect on most

credit card transactions, and hotel bills need to be



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settled every few days.



8. Visas:



Visas are required for entry into Mozambique, and

Embassy Maputo urges travelers to have them prior to

traveling. Travelers arriving from a country without a

Mozambican embassy can get visas at the airport or land

border entry points for USD 20 or 300,000 meticais.

Those arriving from a country with a Mozambican embassy

can obtain visas at the airport or land border entry

points for USD 25. Diplomatic visitors without visas

will have their passports held pending processing of a

visa, which requires Embassy Maputo to process a

diplomatic note.



9. Security/Threat Assessment:



The biggest threat facing U.S. citizens visiting

Mozambique is crime. The State Department has

designated Mozambique a critical-threat post for crime.

Street crime and vehicle hijackings are common and can

be violent. Visitors must be vigilant when out in

public areas, and should not display jewelry or other

items of high value. Visitors should avoid carrying

backpacks or purses, as these can draw unwanted

attention of would-be muggers. Isolated areas, such as

along the Marginal (the area along the sea),should be

avoided as joggers and pedestrians have been mugged

frequently, even during daylight hours.



There are no known terrorist groups active in Mozambique and

no current indications that U.S. citizens are being targeted

by terrorist organizations.



The police are poorly paid, poorly equipped, and lack

the professionalism that U.S. citizens are accustomed

to in the United States. Visitors requiring emergency

assistance should not rely on local emergency services,

but should contact the Marine Security Guard at Post

One at 21-49-07-23. Mozambican law requires that all

persons carry an identity document, such as a passport,

when out in public, and produce it if requested by

police. A copy of passport identity and visa pages is

acceptable. There are certain areas in the city of

Maputo where pedestrian traffic is prohibited, e.g., in

front of the presidential offices located north of the

Hotel Polana on the seaside of Avenida Julius Nyerere.



Overland travel after dark is extremely dangerous due

to poor road conditions, lack of emergency services,

and the increased potential for vehicle highjacking.

Official Americans serving in Mozambique are prohibited

from overland travel outside city limits during the

hours of darkness.



TDY visitors spending more than two work days in

Mozambique must schedule a security briefing with the

Regional Security Officer.



10. Airport Departure Tax:



There is an airport departure tax, payable only in cash

in U.S. dollars or in meticais, of USD 10 or its

equivalent for long-distance international flights and

USD 10 or its equivalent for regional flights (those

within Southern Africa). A domestic departure tax of

55,000 meticais is levied.



11. Airline Reservations:



Changing airline tickets after arriving in Maputo is

often difficult. Passenger reservations on all

airlines can be changed through the national airline

and/or travel agents in South Africa, but reissuing

tickets have proven difficult. Travelers should be sure

to confirm onward flight reservations.



12. Transiting Johannesburg Airport:



Please be aware that baggage security is a significant

problem at the Johannesburg airport. Many items have

been stolen from checked bags, including the checked

bags themselves. The items stolen most often are

electronics (including I-Pods, digital

cameras/cameras, and alarm clocks),toiletries (such

as soap, shaving kits and cologne)and shoes

(especially expensive running/athletic shoes). A



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LOCKED BAG DOES NOT ENSURE SECURITY - please put items

such as these in your carry-on baggage. One security

measure that seems to meet with some success is to

have your luggage stretch-wrapped at your point of

departure. The stretch-wrapping makes it more

difficult for the thieves to gain access to your

luggage. Be aware that flights between Johannesburg

and Maputo are often serviced by a small plane with

little space for carry-on luggage. This may require

passengers to check their larger carry-on items.

Please ensure your valuables are kept in a bag small

enough to carry on your lap to keep them with you at

all times. We take this problem very seriously and

are doing what we can to help aid a solution. In

brief, please:



- Leave behind irreplaceable valuables;

- Always lock your bags;

- Have your luggage stretch-wrapped when possible;

- Keep your valuables with you in a small carry-on.



13. Health:



Travelers are advised that chloroquine-resistant

malaria is present in Mozambique. The most recent

guidance from the Department of State Medical Office

recommends weekly use of mefloquine as the drug of

choice for malaria prophylaxis in chloroquine-

resistant areas. Mefloquine must be started one to two

weeks before arriving at post. Daily doxycycline is an

alternative regimen. Doxycycline must be started three

days before arriving at post. Both malaria prophylaxis

medications must be continued for four weeks after

departing post.



RASPOLIC