COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR U.S. TREASURY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000535

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN KCRM PTER OTRA NL
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR U.S. TREASURY
OFFICIALS PATRICK O'BRIEN AND JUSTIN SERAFINI - MARCH
14-16, 2006

REF: DEPT OF TREASURY WASH DC 101812Z MAR 06


1. Country clearance is granted for March 14-16, 2006 travel
to the Netherlands of U.S. Treasury, Terrorism Finance and
Financial Crime officials Patrick O'Brien, Assistant
Secretary; and Justin Serafini, Advisor, to discuss specific

SIPDIS
issues of concern relating to illicit finance, anti-money
laundering/counter-financing of terrorism, and proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction as well as to participate in
the Dutch finance ministry hosted terrorism finance
conference in the Hague.


2. Two double rooms for single use have been reserved for
the nights of March 14 and 15 at Sofitel Den Haag, Koningin
Julianaplein 35, 2595 AA The Hague - Phone: (31) (70)
381-4901; Fax: (31) (70) 382-5927. (Note that when calling
from inside the Netherlands the city code is 070 and when
calling from outside it is 70).


3. Control officer for the visit is Economic Deputy
Counselor Karen Enstrom - Work Phone: (31) (70) 310-2273;
Cell Phone: (31) (061) 315-1935; Fax: (31) (70) 310-2348;
Email: EnstromKL@state.gov. (Note that when calling from
inside the Netherlands the city code is 070 and when calling
from outside the Netherlands it is 70).


POST ACCESS:


4. Visitors who need unescorted access into secure areas of
the Mission must provide proof of a clearance. If level of
clearance was not provided in the original country clearance
request it should be done by separate cable. The cable
should include SSN, and the name of the agency granting the
security clearance. Cables must include the ASEC Tag to
ensure distribution to the RSO office.

COMPUTER and ELECTRONICS USAGE:


5. Inter-agency security standards prohibit the introduction
or use of non-USG owned computer hardware and software at all
USG diplomatic facilities. Cell phones, palm pilots, radios
and other convenience electronics are prohibited in all
secure areas of the Mission.


6. Travelers who anticipate having special needs in terms of
either access or computer usage should contact the RSO office
before arriving at post.


SECURITY ADVISORY:


7. Since July 9, 2004, the Dutch Government has implemented
heightened security measures in response to concerns of
terrorist activity. US citizens in The Netherlands are
encouraged to monitor media reports, and are reminded to
maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate
steps to increase their security awareness.

Tensions in The Netherlands are high, sparked by the November
2, 2004 murder of a Dutch film producer known for his
outspoken criticism of Islam; and by the November 10, 2004
raid on a home of suspected terrorists, which led to an
all-day standoff and ended with the arrest of three
individuals and non-fatal injuries to the suspects and the
police. Subsequent arrests were made in connection to this
raid and further investigation revealed that these suspects
had ties to known terrorist groups. These events initiated a
GoN-wide overhaul of its Counter-Terrorism measures,
including providing more resources to combat violent Islamic
radicalism. There have been a series of protests and arson
attacks directed at mosques and Islamic schools in the
Netherlands, plus retaliatory actions against several
churches. American citizens should bear in mind that even
demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn
confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.
American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of
demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within
the vicinity of any demonstrations.

The U.S. Government remains deeply concerned about the
heightened possibility of terrorist attacks against U.S.
citizens and interests abroad. As noted in the Department of
State,s Worldwide Caution of September 10, 2004, ter