KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUEST GRANTED FOR GULF

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000237

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN COUNTRYCLEARANCE
SUBJECT: KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUEST GRANTED FOR GULF
SECURITY DIALOGUE TEAM

REF: SECSTATE 17575


1. Embassy Kuwait welcomes and grants country clearance for
Assistant Secretary of Defense Mary Beth Long, PM Acting A/S
Stephen Mull, NEA DAS Gordon Gray, RADM John Miller, DIA
Senior Analyst Bruce Hardcastle, Gen Ralph Baker, Col Russell

C. Barnes, LtCol Reginald Robinson, Roger Pena, Maj Christine
Klink, and Chief Jose Soto to travel to Kuwait City, Kuwait
for the Gulf Security Dialogue (GSD) talks which will be held
on March 10, 2008.


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


3. Visit Officer: An Embassy visit officer and a
driver/expeditor will meet and assist you at the airport.

Jason Khile, Political Officer
Office- (965) 259-1533
Cell- (965) 942-4087
Fax- (965) 259-1051
Unclass e-mail: KhileJB@state.gov

SIPDIS


4. Lodging: Eleven rooms have been reserved at the Radisson
SAS Hotel for March 9, 2008. The hotel telephone number is
(965) 575-6000 and the fax number is (965)565-2999. The
single room rate at the hotel is approximately USD 277.00 per
night( 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 306.00 for
lodging, plus a meal and incidental expense (M&IE) allowance
of USD 114.00 for a total of USD 420.00.


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, or USD 12.00) 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 10.000 (US 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
daytrip 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 Sunday through
Thursday, and office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The time difference with the East Coast of the United States
is EST plus eight 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: Visitors from November to
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,
and visitors to the area are advised to bring
over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen and
cough medicine, with them for self-treatment.


f. Money: Credit cards are widely accepted at 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 11:00 to 1:00 p.m., Sunday
through Thursday. At the current rate of exchange, one
Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) is equivalent to approximately USD 3.7.

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 on COMPUSEC will result in the violator receiving
security infractions and/or security violations. Interagency
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.,
expeditor, 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 a traveler's authorization
is to be used for this purpose, this information must be
spelled out in the travel orders and sufficient funding
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.

********************************************* *
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/
********************************************* *
Misneheimer