COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO INR/B GONZALEZ AND POLITICAL

UNCLAS PRISTINA 000387 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINR OTRA EUN AU BE SR SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO INR/B GONZALEZ AND POLITICAL OFFICER WALDRON REF: SECSTATE 66308 ¶1. US Office Pristina welcomes and grants country clearance to INR/B Officer Ana-Christina Gonzalez and Political Officer Brooke Waldron to visit Pristina May 29-June 2, 2007. The purpose of the visit is to consult with and debrief USOP officials on the final status process, governing and opposition parties, and Serb minority protection issues. Control Officer for this visit is Political Officer Heidi Barrachina, who can be reached at: office 381-38-5959-3104; GSM 377-44-501-741; fax 381-38-549-890. ¶2. Post will make arrangements for transportation between airport and TDY quarters. Accommodations have been confirmed at USOP TDY quarters Rogers Ranch and Orbison Mansion. ¶3. Kosovo is a cash (Euro) economy. There are a few operating ATMs and some large stores and hotels take credit cards. Not all ATMS are reliable and personnel should use normal ATM safety precautions. TDY personnel should bring sufficient cash or travelers' checks to cover all hotel and other incidental expenses and may exchange dollars for Euros from 9:00am-11:30am and 1:00pm-3:00pm each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9:00am-11:30am each Thursday at the U.S. Office cashier. Only USOP accepts travelers' checks. Reverse accommodation is available at the end of the visit. ¶4. Security issues: The security situation in Kosovo is fluid and there is still risk from occasional episodes of violence; incidents of ethnic violence continue to occur. Land mines remain in some outlying areas. Civil society institutions generally do not yet meet Western standards. There is criminal activity against internationals, including purse snatching and residential break-ins and general precautions are recommended. KFOR is deployed throughout Kosovo. Electronic devices such as laptops (personal or official),PDA cell phones with cameras, and the like must be approved for use in USOP facilities by an ISSO in consultation with the RSO. ¶5. Travel to certain areas within Kosovo requires fully armored vehicles and advance RSO approval. To facilitate planning, please provide your travel itinerary to USOP before arrival, as same-day travel can be difficult to arrange. To provide appropriate access to USOP facilities, visitors must ensure all necessary security clearances are included with travel messages. ¶6. Please ensure ASEC tags are included to ensure proper distribution. Specific questions regarding security may be addressed to USOP's RSO or your control officer. KAIDANOW