COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO AMBASSADOR AT LARGE CLING

UNCLAS PRISTINA 000764 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA KJUS KAWC SR MW AL AU NL HR SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO AMBASSADOR AT LARGE CLING WILLIAMSON AND S/WCI SPECIAL ASSISTANT MATHEW LAVINE REF: SECSTATE 145215 ¶1. US Office Pristina welcomes and grants country clearance to Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Clint Williamson and Special Assistant Matthew Lavine to visit Pristina September 15 - September 17, 2006. The purpose of the visit is for consultations with mission, host government and international officials. Point of contact will be Political Officer, Tracey Thornton, who can be reached at: office 381-38-549-516 ext. 3110; GSM 377-44-502-107; fax 381-38-549-890. ¶2. Post is working on travel arrangements from Podgorica and onward travel from Pristina to Tirana. Post will also make arrangements for transportation for official meetings during the visit. COM has extended home hospitality to Ambassador-at-Large Williamson. Matthew Lavine will be housed in TDY quarters on the USOP compound. ¶3. Kosovo is a cash (Euro) economy. There are a few operating ATMs. A few large stores and some hotels take credit cards. Not all ATMS are reliable and personnel should use normal ATM safety precautions. TDY personnel should bring sufficient cash or travelers' checks to cover all hotel and other incidental expenses and may exchange dollars for Euros from 9:00am-11:30am and 1:00pm-3:30pm each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9:00am-11:30am each Thursday at the U.S. Office cashier. Only USOP accepts travelers' checks. Reverse accommodation is available at the end of the visit. ¶4. Security issues: The security situation in Kosovo is fluid and there is still risk from occasional episodes of violence; incidents of ethnic violence continue to occur. Land mines remain in some outlying areas. Civil society institutions generally do not yet meet Western standards. There is criminal activity against internationals, including purse snatching and residential break-ins and general precautions are recommended. KFOR is deployed throughout Kosovo. Electronic devices such as laptops (personal or official),PDA cell phones with cameras, and the like must be approved for use in USOP facilities by an ISSO in consultation with the RSO. ¶5. Travel to certain areas within Kosovo province requires fully armored vehicles and advance RSO approval. To facilitate planning, please provide travel itinerary to USOP in advance of arrival, as same-day travel can be difficult to arrange. To provide appropriate access to USOP facilities, visitors must ensure all necessary security clearances are included with travel messages. ¶6. Please ensure ASEC tags are included to ensure proper distribution. Specific questions regarding security may be addressed to USOP's RSO or your control officer. KAIDANOW