SPAIN COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR S/GAC BRITISH ROBINSON

UNCLAS MADRID 000217 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE S/GAC TRINIDADWA@STATE.GOV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC ASEC EAID KHIV OTRA SOCI SP SUBJECT: SPAIN COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR S/GAC BRITISH ROBINSON REF: SECSTATE 14255 ¶1. Embassy warmly welcomes and grants country clearance to S/GAC US Delegate British Robinson, to travel to Barcelona, Spain on February 10 to February 15. The purpose of this visit is to attend the 3GSM World Congress and participate in Steering Committee meetings. ¶2. Hotel reservations have been made at Hotel Colon, Avenida de la Catedral #7, phone number 93/301-1404. The reservation number is 129022. Breakfast is not included in the daily rate of 230 euros. The phone number for the American Consulate General in Barcelona is 93/280-2227. ¶3. Visitors are reminded that bearers of diplomatic and official passports coming to Spain on official business need to obtain a Spanish visa prior to arrival to Spain. ¶4. Post can provide DoS email access via OpenNet (unclassified system) to State Department travelers who have active OpenNet accounts. Post can also support users who wish to access their email accounts using FOBs or OWA. Exchange 5.5 users (ask your system manager to provide Exchange server version) who have to use remote login to access their exchange email accounts will need to provide Post,s IM section with the name of their DoS Domain and their Exchange Server name and/or IP address. ¶5. THREAT ASSESSMENT: In general, Spain is safe. However, Madrid, Barcelona and other large cities in Spain -- including resort/convention areas such as Benidorm -- attract a large number of criminals and pickpockets and frequent incidents of crime of opportunity against the unwary do occur. Carry only essential items including a photocopy of your passport's photo page. Visitors can protect themselves against crime by being street-smart, alert and aware of their surroundings. In the event you are victimized by crime, or experience any security-related incident, please contact the Embassy's Regional Security Office at 91-587-2550 or after hours at 91-587-2355. Official visitors to the Embassy in Madrid or the Consulate General in Barcelona are encouraged to receive a security briefing from the RSO office at their earliest convenience. Additional information regarding safety and security in Spain is available on the U.S. Department of State's website (www.embusa.es). Travelers are encouraged to review the most recent Worldwide Caution issued by the Department of State. As the Department of State continues to develop information on any potential security threats to Americans overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel/state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, U.S. travelers can hear recorded information by calling the Department of State in Washington, D.C. at 202-647-5225 from their touch-tone telephone, or receive information by automated telefax by dialing 202-647-3000 from their fax machine. Aguirre