VZCZCXRO4947
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0674/01 0961958
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061958Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5037
INFO RUEAHQA/OSAF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 6701
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 1838
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 4579
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 0138
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3679
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 2930

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000674 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR H AND RM/F/DFS/FO/AA/CAA 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN SENV TBIO KSCA OTRA BR
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE APPROVAL FOR CODEL SPECTER (APRIL 2006) 
 
REFS: (A) STATE 52607, (B) STATE 52608 
 
¶1. Mission welcomes and grants country clearance for CODEL Senator 
Arlen Specter, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee (SJUD), to visit 
Brasilia and Manaus, Brazil, April 12-15, 2006, in order to meet 
with heads of State and evaluate matters of concern to the Senate 
Judiciary Committee, especially in the areas of counternarcotics and 
drug interdiction, immigration, and the environment.  A meeting is 
being scheduled to discuss foreign affairs issues with Brazilian 
interlocutors. Mission understands that spouses have been authorized 
to accompany the CODEL for reasons of protocol and that the CODEL 
will travel via MiAir. 
 
¶2. 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. 
 
¶2. POINTS OF CONTACT 
 
-- Overall control officer for this trip is Science Counselor 
Patricia Norman.  Any questions concerning this trip should be 
directed to: 
 
Science Counselor Patricia Norman, cellular phone (55)(61) 
9965-1439, tel (55)(61) 3312-7432 (office), fax (55)(61) 3312-7646 
(Embassy/Science Section), (55)(61) 3364-6447 (home), Unclassified 
Email NormanPD@state.gov 
Transportation in Brasilia and Manaus will be provided as 
requested. 
 
POC for Brasilia Program is Science Officer Matthew Golden, 
cellular phone (55)(61) 9674-8062, tel. (55)(61) 3312-7432 (office), 
fax (55)(61) 3312-7646 (Embassy/Science Section), (55)(61) 3248-1563 
(home), Unclassified Email GoldenMB@state.gov 
 
POC for Manaus Program is Science Counselor Patricia Norman. 
 
¶4. ACCOMODATIONS 
 
Hotel reservations were made as requested at BLUE TREE HOTEL in 
Brasilia from April 12-13, and at ARIAU TOWERS HOTEL in Manaus (AM) 
from April 13-15, 2006. 
 
IN BRASILIA (Distrito Federal): 
Blue Tree Hotel, located at SHTN (Setor Hoteleiro Norte), Trecho 01, 
Lote 1B, Bloco C, Brasilia; 
Telephone (55) 61 3424-7000, Fax 55 61 3424-7001; 
Blue Tree Hotel is within per diem and breakfast is included. 
-- Daily rate is approximately US$ 300.00 for the suit (Senators). 
-- Daily rate is approximately US$ 175.00 for standard rooms for 
staff. 
Hotel latest cancellation without penalty to the CODEL should be 
made at least 48 hours before date of planned arrival. 
 
IN MANAUS (Amazon): 
Ariau Amazon Towers/Manaus, located at Rua Leonardo Malcher 699, 
Centro, Manaus; 
Telephone (55) (92) 3234-7308, (55) (92) 3232-4160, (55) (92) 
3622-5000, Fax (55) (92) 3233-5615; 
Hotel rate cost for two days will be US$ 218.00 including breakfast, 
lunch, and dinner (all meals), boat and ground transportation. 
Hotel latest cancellation without penalty to the CODEL should be 
made at least 48 hours before date of planned arrival. 
 
¶5. 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. 
 
¶6. 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) 
 
BRASILIA 00000674  002 OF 003 
 
 
3312-7676.  Emergencies and calls after normal business hours may be 
directed to Post One at 011+[55](61) 3312-7400. 
 
Manaus (AM) is within the district of the U.S. Embassy Brasilia. 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------- 
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES 
------------------------- 
 
¶8. 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 
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. 
 
----------------- 
THREAT ASSESSMENT 
----------------- 
 
¶9. Crime is the principal and real threat to visitors to Brazil. 
The crime threat level in Brasilia, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, Sao 
Paulo, Curitiba, and Recife is critical.  Armed street robberies are 
common in these cities.  The area in and around the hotel sector in 
 
BRASILIA 00000674  003 OF 003 
 
 
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. 
 
¶10. 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. 
 
¶11. 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. 
 
¶12. 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. 
 
CHICOLA