VZCZCXRO1241
OO RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0012/01 0061313
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061313Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7976
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000012 
 
SIPDIS 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC SENV AMGT APER AA KWMN OTRA TSPL KU
 
SUBJECT: KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR U/S 
DOBRIANSKY + 31 
 
REF: SECSTATE 974 
 
¶1.  Embassy Kuwait welcomes and hereby grants country 
clearance for U/S Dobriansky and a thirty-one member 
U.S. delegation,including TDY support, to visit Kuwait 
from Thursday, January 4, 2007, to Friday, January 12, 
2007, to participate in and support the Conference 
of Women Leaders in Science, Technology and Engineering, 
to be held in Kuwait. 
 
¶2.  This clearance is not/not valid for entry into Iraq; you 
must apply for Iraq clearance through Embassy Baghdad. 
 
¶3.  Visit Officer for the Conference: 
    Christopher Green 
    Phone: 965-259-1373 
    Mobile: 965-902-5940 
    Fax: 965-259-1051 
    Unclassified Email: GreenCR@state.gov 
 
    Visit Officer for U/S Dobriansky 
    Mark Rosenshield 
    Phone: 965-259-1690 
    Mobile: 965-937-0334 
    Fax: 965 259-1051 
    Unclassified Email: RosenshieldMS@state.gov 
 
    Visit Officer for A/S McMurray 
    Steve Conlon 
    Phone: 965-259-1249 
    Mobile: 965-942-3897 
    Fax: 965-259-1051 
    Unclassified Email: ConlonSM@state.gov 
 
¶4.  Per Reftel, accommodation and transportation assistance 
as requested have been arranged: 
 
JW Marriott Kuwait City 
Al Shuhada Street 
Phone: 965-245-5550 
 
 
¶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, approximately USD 10.50) 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 miltary 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 10.00 
(USD 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 day trip 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 Saturday through 
Wednesday. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The time 
difference with the East Coast of the United States is EST 
plus 8 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 
 
KUWAIT 00000012  002 OF 003 
 
 
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 in November 
through 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. Persons traveling to the area are advised to have 
over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, 
cold and cough medications with them for self-treatment. 
 
    f. Money:  Credit cards are widely accepted in 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 
accomodation 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 2:00pm, Saturday through Wednesday.  At 
the current rate of exchange, one Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) is 
equivalent to approximately USD 3.50. 
 
    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 in COMPUSEC will 
result in the violator receiving security infractions and/or 
security violations.  Inter-agency 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 attibutable to the visit.  If 
fiscal data on visitor's travel authorization is to be used 
for this purpose, this information must be spelled out in 
the travel orders and sufficient funding must be 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 
 
KUWAIT 00000012  003 OF 003 
 
 
prived any services to a TDYer staying in excess of 30 days 
without having recieved this documentation prior to day 31 
of the TDY. 
 
    k.  Visit Kuwait's unclassified intranet website at 
http://kuwait.state.gov. 
LeBaron