COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MOZAMIBQUE DESK OFFICER HERB TREGER TO TRAVEL TO MOZAMBIQUE

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000146

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB, OTRA, AFIN, AO, SF, KE, MZ
SUBJ: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MOZAMIBQUE DESK OFFICER
HERB TREGER TO TRAVEL TO MOZAMBIQUE

REF: STATE 07862

1. Embassy Maputo welcomes and grants country clearance for
Mozambique Desk Officer Herb Treger to travel to Mozambique on
February 5-10, 2006.

Please advise as soon as possible regarding any schedule or
itinerary changes; refer to para 7 regarding visa
requirements.

2. Control Officer: Control officer for the visit will be
Chief Econ/Pol Officer John Wysham. 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 Polana. The
rate for a single room is USD$120.00, which includes a
breakfast buffet. Maputo per diem is currently USD$242.00
(lodging USD$185 and meals/incidentals USD$57). 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 res@polana-hotel.com

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.

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 medavac 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 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 high-jacking.
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 20 or its equivalent for long-
distance international flights and USD 20 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. 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.

LA LIME