COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR ANA GUEDES TO

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000471 SIPDIS SIPDIS FMBBG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: BBG MZ SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR ANA GUEDES TO VISIT MOZAMBIQUE REF: SECSTATE 063281 ¶1. Embassy Maputo welcomes and grants country clearance for Ana Guedes, VOA Africa Division Portuguese to Africa Chief to travel to Mozambique on April 20-30, 2006 to conduct journalism training for VOA's affiliates in Mozambique and initial contacts with potential and/or future VOA's health and political stringers in Mozambique as well as U.S. agencies/NGOs in the country. Please advise as soon as possible regarding any schedule or itinerary changes; refer to para 8 regarding visa requirements. ¶2. Control Officer: Greg Garland, Public Affairs Officer at the Embassy, will be control officer. She can be contacted at: -- Office telephone: (258) 2149-27-97, ext.3487 -- Office fax: (258) 2149-19-18 -- Cellular: (258) 82-321-2920 ¶3. Hotel Reservations: Post understands that no assistance is needed. ¶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 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 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