COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO CORDOVA FOR

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 001389 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC OTRA AC BB DO SC XL SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO CORDOVA FOR TRAVEL TO ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA BARBADOS DOMINICA AND SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS REF: 301151Z OCT 07 ¶1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants country clearance to LtCol Kirk F. Cordova Major Edward R. Harvey, USMC for travel on the following dates of travel. The purpose of this travel is to conduct site surveys of USSOUTHCOM Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) projects within the Eastern Caribbean: Barbados: November 06 ? November 07, 2007 Dominica: November 07 ? November 08, 2007 Antigua: November 08, 2007 Nevis: November 08 ? November 09, 2007 ¶2. Embassy points of contact are CDR P. Kofi Aboagye, Chief, Military Liaison Office, (246) 227- 4339 or cell (246) 230-2705 and LCDR Rene Cerda, Deputy Chief, Military Liaison Office, (246) 227- 4166 or cell (246) 230-2712. ¶3. Hotel reservation has been confirmed at the Turtle Beach Resort, Dover, Christ Church, tel. 1- 246-428-7131. Hotel confirmation number is TB547975. ¶4. The United States Military Liaison Office (USMLO) is located at the United States Embassy Barbados, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, Saint Michael. ¶5. Post?s resources do not allow us the flexibility to meet and assist visitors at the airport. However, Barbadian Customs and Immigration are visitor-friendly. The taxi rate from the airport to the hotel is approximately BDS$30 (US$15). The exchange rate is approximately 2 Barbados Dollars for 1 U.S. Dollar. You should bring enough U.S. Dollar bills to pay the taxi. U.S. currency, traveler?s checks, and credit cards are routinely and widely accepted here. The exchange rate for Saint Lucia is approximately $2.70 xcd (Eastern Caribbean) dollars for $1.00 U.S. dollar. U.S. currency, traveler?s checks, and credit cards are also routinely and widely accepted here. The exchange rate for Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Saint Kitts and Nevis is approximately $2.70 xcd (Eastern Caribbean) dollars for $1.00 U.S. dollar. U.S. currency, traveler?s checks, and credit cards are also routinely and widely accepted here. ¶6. Entry requirements: A valid U.S. passport is required to enter Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. No visa is required if your stay is under six months, including those travelers arriving with diplomatic or official passports. For further information, travelers may contact the Embassy of Barbados, 2144 Wyoming Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20008, tel. 1-202-939-9200. ¶7. Restrictions: The laws of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Kitts and Nevis prohibit non-military personnel from wearing any articles of camouflage clothing. Immigration officers in these countries randomly check visitor?s baggage on arrival at the airport; if items of restriction are found, you will be asked to surrender them to the officers. ¶8. Departure tax for Antigua and Barbuda is $50.00 ECC (Eastern Caribbean Currency) or $19.00 USD. Departure tax for Barbados is BDS$60 or USD$30. Departure tax for Dominica is $60.00 XCD (Eastern Caribbean Currency) or $23.00 ¶9. ICASS TDY Policy: Each visitor, regardless of length of stay, must bring/forward fiscal data to pay for direct costs of the visit. Each agency, organization or visiting delegation will be charged for the actual costs attributed to its visit. Direct charge costs include, but are not limited to: airport transportation and expediting; driving services; American and LES overtime (for such services as airport expediting, cashier accommodation exchange, control room staffing, representational event support); travel and per diem costs incurred by post personnel in support of visitor?s field travel; rental of vehicles and other equipment; long distance telephone calls; office supplies, procurement/small purchasing; departure tax and other airport fees. Post will not provide service if fiscal data is not provided for the direct charges. For TDYers remaining at post over 30 days, there is a charge for ICASS support services. This charge is for the following ICASS services: Basic Package, CLO and Health Services. Agencies will not be billed until the accumulated invoice cost for TDY support exceeds $2,500 for the fiscal year. If your sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services at post, please be prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for ICASS support services upon arrival. The agency should provide post with a written communication, generated by the traveler?s headquarters, that confirms the agency will pay ICASS charges for the TDYer, provides the agency ICASS billing code to which the TDY support charges should be applied, and authorizes the traveler to sign the ICASS invoice generated by the TDY module. Where travel is urgent, the TDYer should bring this documentation with him/her to ensure there are no interruptions in the provision of service. Post will not provide any service to a TDYer staying in excess of thirty days without provision of this documentation before day 31 of the TDY.? ¶10. The following is general information pertaining to security and health considerations throughout the Eastern Caribbean: Security -------------- In the Eastern Caribbean, foot travel outside of well-established tourist areas is not generally recommended, especially at night. Be vigilant when using public telephones or ATM machines near roadsides or quiet areas. As in many U.S. metropolitan areas, wearing expensive jewelry, carrying expensive objects, or carrying large amounts of cash should be avoided. Visitors should also safeguard valuables while at the beach. While hotels are generally safe, many visitors have experienced loss of unattended items. Hotel burglaries are not uncommon and all valuables should be locked in room safes if possible. Health Information -------------- Throughout the Eastern Caribbean, the most likely threat to a visitor?s health is sunburn. It takes several weeks to become accustomed to the heat and humidity. Prolonged exposure to the sun, without protection, causes sunburn and may ultimately result in sun-damaged skin or even skin cancer. Sunscreens should be used for protection. In Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent the major health threat is dengue fever, transmitted by mosquito. Dengue cases are most often seen in the summer months. Persons should therefore protect themselves with insect repellant. There is also a growing number of HIV/AIDS cases reported. The Eastern Caribbean enjoys clean and safe drinking water. Only routine boosters for immuizations (i.e. tetanus, diphtheria, and oral polo vaccine) are required when traveling to this rgion. Barbados has the best medical facilities f all the island in the region and most of the edical specialties have practitioners here. OUISMAN