Cablegate: Country Clearance Approval for Stas, Aaas and Inr

VZCZCXRO6226
PP RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #2207/01 2931832
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201832Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7062
INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 3153
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 8407
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 5708
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4361
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 5883
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 3214

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 002207

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR STAS/HELEN KIM
STATE FOR WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KSCA TBIO TPHY CI PE OTRA US BR
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE APPROVAL FOR STAS, AAAS AND INR
OFFICIALS

REF: STATE 174677

1. Mission welcomes and grants country clearance for Science and
Technology adviser (STAS) Atkinson; Deputy STAS Andrew Reynolds,
Jefferson; Science fellows Kim Boyer and Edward Samulksi, AAAS
fellow Christina McCain; and INR geographer Lee Schwartz, to travel
to and Sao Paulo and Campinas (SP), November 9-15, and to Rio de
Janeiro and Petropolis (RJ), Sao Paulo (SP) Nov 18, Brazil November
15-18, 2006, to participate in the "Global Dialogue on Emerging
Science and Technology" (GDEST) on the topic of bioinformatics,
hosted by the government of Brazil in Petropolis (RJ), November
9-14, 2006. Travelers will also tour universities and laboratories
conducting seminal research in key fields.

2. Logistical arrangements and appointments will be made by both the
U.S. Consulates in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, as requested in
Reftel. Further information will follow electronically to STAS
office/Helen Kim (email: KIMHEJ@STATE.GOV)

3. Visitors are reminded that all US citizens traveling to Brazil
for any purpose require visas, which must be obtained in advance
from a Brazilian Embassy or Consulate. "Airport visas" do not exist,
and immigration authorities will refuse entry to anyone without a
valid visa. All Brazilian visas are considered invalid regardless
of validity if not used within 90 days of issuance.

4. Visitors should be current with all immunizations required for
Brazil. Those arriving from flights that do not originate in the
United States are advised to ensure that their yellow fever
vaccination is up to date, and that they have their WHO yellow cards
with them to prove it. If you require a yellow fever vaccination
and it is for the first time, not a booster, it should be given at
least 10 days before travel to be effective. Please consult with
appropriate medical authorities before traveling.

5. The U.S. Embassy continues to receive reports from official
visitors and tourists of recent VARIG domestic and international
flight cancellations due to the airline's financial difficulties.
These cancellations continue to result in missed connecting flights
in Sao Paulo and Rio, and disruption of travelers' itineraries.
Although the airline has been purchased by a new buyer, both
domestic and international flights are likely to operate at a
significantly reduced confidence level during their restructuring
period.
U.S. citizens should keep this in mind when making travel plans.

6. All official visitors must attend the RSO Security briefing.

7. Persons entering Brazil under the USG auspices have an important
role to play in strengthening U.S. - Brazil cooperation. Please
keep this priority in mind during your visit and inform the embassy
or nearest consulate promptly of any opportunities or problems that
arise. As a result of the imposition of biometric enrolment of the
US-VISIT program, the Government of Brazil started fingerprinting
and photographing arriving U.S. citizens in January 2004. Present
GOB policy is not to fingerprint U.S. travelers arriving on official
or diplomatic visas. It is possible, however, that official
visitors could be asked to submit to a fingerprinting through
administrative error. The Embassy hopes that visitors will comply
with reasonable requests from the Brazilian immigration authorities.
Any unusual delays or unreasonable treatment should be brought to
the attention of the Management Officer so they can be relayed to
the GOB. Full cooperation with the identification procedures is
advisable.

8. MEDICAL EVACUATION, INSURANCE AND HEALTH UNIT ACCESS ISSUES:

Direct Hire employees (not contractors) of the Department of State,
USAID, DOD, and CDC need not take further action. Direct Hire
employees of other U.S Government Agencies must provide their
control officer by cable or e-mail a name and 24-hour point of
contact for their agency that can authorize medical evacuation. For
employees whose agencies are not authorized to fund medevacs,
individuals will be responsible for obtaining their own medevac
insurance and providing the information to their control officer

The USG does not cover contract employees for medevac. Therefore,
all USG contractors (regardless of the government agency they are
contracted to) must provide their control officer prior to arrival
the name, phone number, and policy number of their medevac insurance
provider(s) for use in case of emergency.

Contractors do not have access to services in the Health Units at

BRASILIA 00002207 002 OF 003

Post. In an emergency, the Health Unit will try to facilitate access
to care on the local economy or facilitation with their medevac
provider. Contractors need to be advised that for any medical care
needs they will need to use services provided on the local economy.

9. Please find below information needed for the cities to be
visited:

- Brasilia -
The United States Embassy in Brasilia is located at Avenida das
Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, telephone number (from U.S.)
011+(55)(61) 3312-7000, fax number (from U.S.) 011+(55) (61)
3312-7676. Emergencies and calls after normal business hours may be
directed to Post One at 011+(55)(61) 3312-7400.
Control officer in Brasilia is Science Counselor Patricia Norman,
Cellular (55-21) 9965-1439, Office phone (55-21) 3212-7401, Email:
NormanPD@state.gov

- Rio de Janeiro -
The United States Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro is located at
Avenida Presidente Wilson 147 B. Castelo, telephone number (from
U.S.) 011+(55)(21) 3823-2000, fax number (from U.S.)
011+(55)(21)3823-2003. Emergencies and calls after normal business
hours may be directed to Post One at 011+(55)(21) 3823-2029.
Control officer in Rio de Janeiro is Solange Bezerra
Cellular (55-21) 9947-8942, Office phone (55-21) 3823-2818, Email:
BezerraSF@state.gov

- Sao Paulo -
The United States Consulate General in Sao Paulo is located at Rua
Thomas Deloney, 381 - Chacara Santo Antonio, telephone number (from
U.S.) 011+(55)(11) 5186-7000, fax number (from U.S.) 011+(55)(11)
5186-7099. Emergencies and calls after normal business hours may be
directed to Post One at 011+(55)(11) 5181-8730.
Control Officer in Sao Paulo is Peter Higgins
Office phone (55-11) 5186-7247
Email: HigginsJP@state.gov

10. Please find below some information on Administrative procedures
and requirements:

A. Each visitor, regardless of length of stay, must bring/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 its visit. Direct charge costs include, but are
not limited to:

-- American and LES overtime (for such services as airport
expediting, cashier accommodation exchange, control room staffing,
representational event support);
Travel and per diem costs incurred by post personnel in support of
visitor's field travel;
-- Rental of vehicles and other equipment;
-- Long distance telephone calls;
-- Office supplies;
-- Gasoline and other vehicle maintenance costs;
-- Departure tax and other airport fees.

Post will not provide service if fiscal data is not provided for the
direct charges.

B. For TDYers remaining at post over 30 days, there is a charge for
ICASS support services. This charge is for the following ICASS
services and will be billed thru the ICASS TDY module, based on a
per-capita-basis, prorated for the length of stay. For example, a
TDY visit by one USG employee of 06 months' duration would be
counted as 0.5:
-- Basic Package;
-- Community Liaison - CLO;
-- Health Services.

C. If your sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services at
post, please be prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
document for ICASS support services upon arrival. The agency should
provide post with a written communication generated by the
traveler's headquarters that confirms the agency will pay ICASS
charges for the TDYer. The communication should include the agency
ICASS billing code to which the TDY support should be charged and
authorize the traveler to sign the ICASS invoice generated by the
TDY module. Agencies will not be billed until the accumulated
invoice cost for TDY support exceeds Dols 2,500 for the fiscal year.
Where travel is urgent, the TDYers should bring this documentation
with him/her to ensure there are no interruptions in the provision

BRASILIA 00002207 003 OF 003

of service. Post will not provide any service to a TDYer staying in
excess of thirty days without provision of this documentation before
day 31 of the TDY.

11. Crime is the principal and real threat to visitors to Brazil.
The crime threat level in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and
Recife is critical. Armed street robberies are common in these
cities. The area in and around the hotel sector in Brasilia is
extremely dangerous, especially at night. Embassy visitors have
been robbed under gunpoint while walking on the street. Taxis and
private vehicles should be used to move about.

12. In addition, individuals and organizations with ties to
extremist groups operate in the tri-border area between Brazil,
Paraguay and Argentina - this includes the Iguacu falls area.
Official visitors contemplating travel to this area should contact
the Embassy before doing so, as well as Embassy Asuncion and/or
Embassy Buenos Aires if they plan to cross into Paraguay and/or
Argentina.

13. Visitors should practice common sense preventative security
techniques, just as they would in any large city in the world. Some
of the more important tips that you should follow to avoid becoming
a crime victim are:

-- Do not carry or wear valuable items that will attract the
attention of thieves. If you need to wear expensive jewelry or
carry a camera; conceal it until you arrive at your destination.

-- Be aware of the street environment and avoid contact with those
who may be looking for robbery targets. Seek a safer location. Go
into a store, bank or simply cross the street.

-- Do not physically resist any robbery attempt. While this is a
personal decision, statistics show that resistance leads to injury.

-- Do not answer your hotel room door until you positively confirm
who is on the other side. Look out the peephole, or call the front
desk to confirm the visitor.

-- Do not walk on the beaches after dark. Assaults are common.

-- Avoid city buses. Many pass through high crime areas and are
susceptible to robberies.

14. Visitors who intend to bring U.S. Government portable
microcomputers into the embassy or consulate must obtain prior
approval from the systems manager and the RSO/PSO. The use of
privately owned computers is discouraged in any government
facility.

SOBEL

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