UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000080

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PLS PASS USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: APER AMGT OTRA KU COUNTRY CLEARANCE
SUBJECT: KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR USAID MARK
WARD

REF: A. SECSTATE 7363


B. 06 KUWAIT 4489


1. Embassy Kuwait welcomes and hereby grants country
clearance for Mr. Mark Ward, Senior Deputy Assistant
Administrator, Bureau for Asia and the Near East, to travel
to post o/a February 3-5, 2007 to participate in the Middle
East donor coordination event hosted by the Arab Fund on
February 4 (for additional details of the donor conference
see Ref B).


2. This clearance is not/not valid for entry into Iraq; you
must apply for Iraq clearance through Embassy Baghdad.


3. Visit Officer: Tim Lenderking, Economic Counselor.
Phone: 965-259-1230. Fax: 965-259-1051. Email:
LenderkingTA@state.gov


4. Lodging: One single room has been reserved at the
Sheraton Hotel for the nights of February 3-5, 2007;
confirmation number is 456156632. The hotel phone number is
(965) 835-555 and the fax number is (965) 244-8032. The
single room rate at the hotel is approximately USD 228 per
night plus 15% service charge, which includes breakfast. The
hotel accepts major credit cards and is within the per diem
rate. The daily per diem rate for Kuwait is USD 260.00 for
lodging, plus a meal and incidental expense (M&IE) allowance
of USD 96.00 for a total of USD 356.00. Please provide
flight details so that Post may arrange ground transportation.


5. Following is post's standard guidance for visitors to
Kuwait:

a. Entry Requirements: Kuwait now issues single-entry
visas to American citizens on arrival, upon presentation of a
valid passport. There is a processing fee of three (3)
Kuwaiti Dinar (KD 3.000, approximately USD 10.50) for each
visa issued. The fee may be paid either in KD or USD. Post
strongly advises travelers to carry some documentation on the
purpose of their visit. Passengers arriving on other than
commercial flights should anticipate extra delays, because
immigration services are not available on the military side
of the airfield and passports have to be carried to a
different location at the airport for processing. Airport
visas are valid for 90 days after arrival; anyone staying

beyond this period must obtain an extension, which should be
requested 2 weeks prior to visa expiration. Anyone departing
Kuwait who has overstayed the visa will be charged a fine of
KD 10.00 (USD 35.00) per day at the airport. All travelers
planning to visit Iraq should make sure that they obtain the
required exit/entry stamps for each transit through Kuwait,
and be aware that they will need to obtain a new Kuwaiti visa
upon return, even after a day trip to Baghdad. Failure to do
so can result in heavy fines. If possible, travelers should
try to obtain a multiple-entry visa before arriving in Kuwait.

b. Visitors are reminded that the importation of alcohol,
pork products, personal firearms, and any
suggestive/pornographic materials (videotapes, magazines or
books) is strictly prohibited by Kuwaiti law. Kuwait is
still clearing mines and munitions. Visitors must remain on
major paved roads when traveling in Kuwait. Travel North of
Jahra toward the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border is not authorized
without approval from the embassy and an appropriate escort.

c. Embassy Kuwait's normal workweek is Saturday through
Wednesday. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The time
difference with the East Coast of the United States is EST
plus 8 hours. The Embassy switchboard number is (965)
259-1001, and the IVG number is 4950000. The after hours
number which rings at Marine Guard post one is (965)
538-2098. The mission duty officer can be reached through
the embassy switchboard, Post One, or by cell phone at (965)
967-7265. The embassy pouch address is 6200 Kuwait Place,
Dulles, VA 20189-6200.

d. Threat Assessment: Kuwait is a high-threat post and
the military threatcon is currently Charlie. We have
increased security precautions at official U.S. installations
in Kuwait and recommend that all Americans in Kuwait remain
alert to their surroundings and review their personal
security practices.

e. Health Advisory for Kuwait: April through October is
the hot season in Kuwait. Temperatures reach 120-140F in
summer. Caution should be taken to prevent dehydration and
heat exhaustion by 1) drinking plenty of fluids and 2)
staying indoors, especially during peak temperature hours of
12:00-15:00. Low humidity coupled with high temperatures
creates excessive moisture loss from evaporation. It is

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necessary to drink 2-4 quarts of water daily to prevent
dehydration. Visitors in November through March can expect
cold winds and at times heavy rains. Light winter clothing is
suitable for Kuwait during these months. At this time
allergies and colds are more common. Persons traveling to
the area are advised to have over-the-counter medications,
such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cold and cough medications with
them for self-treatment.

f. Money: Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels,
restaurants and other establishments throughout Kuwait and
ATM machines are also readily available. For travelers on
official orders, the Commercial Bank of Kuwait can provide
accommodation services (cashing a personal check drawn on a
U.S. bank into local currency) up to a maximum of USD 300.00
per day from noon to 2:00pm, Saturday through Wednesday. At
the current rate of exchange, one Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) is
equivalent to approximately USD 3.50.

g. CAA Access: Visitors who need unescorted access into
secure areas of the mission must slug cables to the attention
of the RSO, and include the level of their clearance. The
cable should include the visitor's Social Security Number,
and the name of the agency granting the clearance. Cables
should include the ASEC tag to ensure distribution to the RSO
office and the Marine Security guard at post one.

h. Computer and Electronics usage: Sensitive military
information has been discovered recently on business center
computers at local hotels in Kuwait City. All U.S.
Government personnel and contractors must remember that it is
their responsibility to observe good computer and information
security practices. Information processed on computers in
hotel business centers, through email correspondence or
document creation, is highly exploitable. Public computers
located in hotel business centers, internet cafes, airport
lounges, etc. should never be used to process, store or
disseminate sensitive information. Compromise of sensitive
government or military information can result in serious
damage to national security. Compromises of sensitive
personal data can result in significant personal and
financial hardship. Random checks are conducted by Embassy
personnel on public PC's. Breaches in COMPUSEC will result
in the violator receiving security infractions and/or
security violations. 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.

i. Photography: Tourist photography is encouraged in
Kuwait. However, it is strictly forbidden to photograph
public buildings, economic infrastructure, or military and
other security-related facilities and personnel.
Confiscation of film and camera and even arrest may result
from doing so. A good rule of thumb: If there is any doubt
as to whether a photograph should be taken, don't take it.

j. Action Request: Each visitor, regardless of length
of stay, must bring or 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
their visit. Direct charge costs include, but are not limited
to: American and LES staff overtime (e.g., expediter,
accommodation exchange, representational event support),
field travel, lodging and meals and incidental expenses
(M&IE) by embassy employees, vehicle rentals, long-distance
telephone calls, equipment rentals, office supplies and all
other costs that are directly attributable to the visit. If
fiscal data on visitor's travel authorization is to be used
for this purpose, this information must be spelled out in the
travel orders and sufficient funding must be provided to meet
these expenses. In addition, for TDYers over thirty (30)
days, there will be a charge for ICASS support services. If
your sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services at
post, please be prepared to sign an ICASS Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) for ICASS support services upon arrival.
The agency should provide post with written communication,
generated by the traveler's headquarters, that confirms the
agency will pay ICASS charges for the TDYer, provide the
agency ICASS billing code for the TDY support to be provided,
and authorize the traveler to sign the ICASS invoice
generated by the TDY module. When travel is urgent, TDYers
should bring this document with them to ensure there are no
interruptions in the provision of services. Post will not
provide any services to a TDYer staying in excess of 30 days
without having received this documentation prior to day 31 of
the TDY.

k. Visit Kuwait's unclassified intranet website at

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http://kuwait.state.gov.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
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