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