SPAIN COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR GAO: JAYETTA HECKER,

UNCLAS MADRID 000731 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA SP SUBJECT: SPAIN COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR GAO: JAYETTA HECKER, STEVEN COHEN AND, MATTHEW ROSENBERG, MAUREEN LUNA-LONG AND JOHN HEALEY REF: SECSTATE 46671 ¶1. Embassy grants country clearance to GAO personnel; Steven Cohen and Matthew Rosenberg, (the others are listed in case of substitution) to travel to Madrid, Spain on or about April 23 to April 27. The purpose of this visit is to conduct a review of public-private partnerships in the construction, maintenance and operations of transportation infrastructure. ¶2. The control officer for this visit is Whitney Baird, Economic Counselor. She can be reached at Embassy number 91/587-2288 or cellphone number 650-624-831. A copy of the schedule will be sent via email. ¶3. Hotel reservations have been made at Hotel Hesperia located on Paseo de la Castellana, 57, phone number 34/91-210-8800. Confirmation numbers are as follow for Steven Cohen 3230706 and 2320708 for Matthew Rosenberg. The per diem rate for Madrid is $247 and breakfast is included. ¶4. 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. ¶5. 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. ¶6. 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