Cablegate: Kuwait Country Clearance Granted for Border

VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKU #1534/01 2910950
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180950Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1029
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0150

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001534

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IZ KU OTRA PBTS PREL PTER
SUBJECT: KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR BORDER
SECURITY EXPERTS MEETING PARTICIPANTS

REF: BAGHDAD 3440

1. Embassy Kuwait welcomes and grants country clearance to
Mr.Stephen Mangino, Mr. Souad Al-Atar, and Mr. Mark Samuel
Riley to travel to post on October 19-24, 2007 to attend a
Border Security Experts Meeting.

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

Embassy point of contact is:

Agnel Berry, ISU Coordinator
Office: (965) 259-1416
Cell: (965)973-9854
Fax: (965) 259-1190
Unclass e-mail: BerryAH2@state.gov

SIPDIS

3. Lodging: Three rooms have been reserved at the Movenpick
Hotel & Resort Al Bida'a for 5 nights, October 19-24, 2007.
The hotel telephone number is (965)225-3100 and the fax
number is (965)225-3101. The single room rate at the hotel is
65KD 15% tax (approximately USD 271.00) per night, 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 291.00 for lodging, plus a meal and incidental
expense (M&IE) allowance of USD 105.00 for a total of USD
396.00. Confirmation numbers: 116639/116640/116641

4. 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 EDT plus seven 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. 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 noon to 2:00 p.m., Saturday through Wednesday.
At the current rate of exchange, one Kuwaiti
Dinar (KD) is equivalent to approximately USD 3.50.

f. 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.

g. 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.

h. 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.

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.

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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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MISENHEIMER

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