COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO MERCADO AND MARSTELLER FOR

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000899 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC OTRA BB ST XL SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO MERCADO AND MARSTELLER FOR TRAVEL TO BARBADOS AND SAINT LUCIA REF: 091655Z JUL 07 ¶1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants country clearance to Mr. Rafael J. Mercado, Special Agent, NCIS, and Ms. Suzanne M. Marsteller, Special Agent, NCIS, for travel to Barbados from July 15 - 17, 2007 and to Saint Lucia from July 17 - 18, 2007. The purpose of this mission is to meet with USMLO, RSO, and host nations' law enforcement and port officials and also to conduct on-scene assessments and update the NCIS Defense Threat Assessments (DTA) for Barbados and Saint Lucia. ¶2. The United States Military Liaison Office (USMLO) and Regional Security Office are located at the United States Embassy Barbados, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, Saint Michael. A USMLO representative will accompany the travelers to the Barbados appointment at the Barbados Port Inc. The following appointments have been confirmed: For Barbados -------------- Appointment with Mr. Anthony Benn, Chief of Port Security, Barbados Port Inc. has been confirmed for Monday, July 16, 2007 at 9:30 am at the Barbados Port Inc. Office. Contact numbers for Mr. Benn are (246) 430-4700 (office) and (246) 233-7727 (cell). Appointment with LCDR Rene Cerda, Deputy Chief, USMLO, and Mr. Robert Starnes, RSO, has been confirmed for Monday, July 16, 2007 at 11:00 am at the U.S Embassy. For Saint Lucia -------------- Appointment with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force Commissioner has been confirmed for Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 1:30 pm. Contact numbers are (758) 456-3701 or (758) 456-3702. Appointment with Mr. Kenneth Francis, Chief of Port Security, Castries Port Authority has been confirmed for Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 9:00 am. Contact numbers for Mr. Francis are (758) 285-0354 (office) and (758) 714-9444 (cell). ¶3. Embassy points of contact are CDR P. Kofi Aboagye, Chief, Military Liaison Office, (246) 227-4339 or cell (246) 230-2705; LCDR Rene Cerda, Deputy Chief, Military Liaison Office, (246) 227-4166 or cell (246) 230-2712; Major Rachelle Harris, Operations Officer, (246) 227-4123 or cell (246) 230-2725; Mr. Robert Starnes, Regional Security Officer, (246) 227-4135 or cell (246) 823-4436; and Mr. Eric Freeman, Assistant Regional Security Officer, (246) 227-4173 or cell (246) 826-1164. ¶4. Hotel reservations have been confirmed for travelers at the Hilton Barbados, Needham's Point, Saint Michael, Barbados, tel. 1-246-426-0200. Hotel confirmation numbers are 118557 for Mr. Mercado and 118558 for Ms. Marsteller. Hotel reservations have been confirmed for travelers at the Bay Gardens Hotel, Castries, Saint Lucia, tel. 1-758-457-8007. Hotel confirmation numbers are 44017 for Mr. Mercado and 44375 for Ms. Marsteller. ¶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. ¶6. Entry requirements: A valid U.S. passport is required to enter Barbados and Saint Lucia. 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 Barbados is BDS$60 or USD$30. Departure tax for Saint Lucia is $68.00 ECC (Eastern Caribbean Currency) or $24.00 USD. ¶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 immunizations (i.e. tetanus, diphtheria, and oral polio vaccine) are required when traveling to this region. Barbados has the best medical facilities of all the islands in the region and most of the medical specialties have practitioners here. OURISMAN