INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Kuwait Country Clearance Granted for Ambassador

Published: Mon 22 Oct 2007 12:54 PM
VZCZCXRO5837
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHKU #1543/01 2951254
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221254Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1039
INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 1749
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 1898
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0295
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1077
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 1610
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 5500
RUEHMK/AMEMBASSY MANAMA 2409
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0736
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0462
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0164
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001543
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BA EG JO KU QA OTRA AMGT ASEC
SUBJECT: KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR AMBASSADOR
CROCKER AND DELEGATION
REF: BAGHDAD 3496
1. Embassy Kuwait welcomes and grants country clearance to
Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq; Senior Advisor David
Pearce; Special Assistant Ali Khedery; and A/RSO David
Hazarian, to travel to post on October 29, 2007 to meet
with host government principals.
2. An Embassy visit officer and a driver/expeditor will
meet and assist you at the airport.
Visit Officer:
Jason Khile, Political Officer
Office: (965) 259-1690
Cell: (965) 942-4087
Fax: (965) 259-1051
Unclass e-mail: KhileJB@state.gov
SIPDIS
3. 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
concerning the purpose of their visit. Passengers arriving
on U.S. military 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. Please allow four hours for passport processing
when arriving by milair. 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 36.00) 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. Visitors are
strictly enjoined from bringing in any such items, even in
checked luggage or carry-on baggage, as the consequences can
be severe. 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, that 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: April through October is
the hot season in Kuwait. Temperatures reach 120-140 degrees
F in summer. Caution should be taken to prevent dehydration
and heat exhaustion by 1) drinking plenty of fluids and 2)
staying indoors, especially during peak temperature hours of
noon to 4:00 PM. Low humidity
KUWAIT 00001543 002 OF 003
coupled with high temperatures creates excessive moisture
loss from evaporation. It is necessary to drink 2-4 quarts
of water daily to prevent dehydration.
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 noon to 2:00 p.m., Saturday through Wednesday.
At the current rate of exchange, one Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) is
equivalent to approximately USD 3.60.
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 (e.g., oil
facilities), 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, and representational event
support), field travel, lodging and meals and
incidental expenses (M) 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 sh
ould bring this document with them to ensure there are no
KUWAIT 00001543 003 OF 003
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.
4. This is revision one to the Embassy's standard country
clearance cable.
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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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