VZCZCXRO2809
RR RUEHLMC
DE RUEHTO #1253/01 2710821
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280821Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP  0088
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6116

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MAPUTO 001253 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
MCC FOR SGAULL 
AF/S FOR HTREGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMCA EAID ECON OVIP AFIN OTRA MZ
SUBJ: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MCC STAFF AND 
PROVISIONAL COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR BOOZ ALLEN 
HAMILTON STAFF TO TRAVEL TO MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: MCC 523 
 
¶1.  Embassy Maputo welcomes and grants country 
clearance for MCC staff, Cassia Carvalho-Pacheco, 
Jonathan Saiger, Omar Hopkins, Stephen Gaull, Maria 
Claudia Pachon, Jonathan Nash, Beverly Watson, John 
Polk, David Gentry, Elizabeth Cordaro, Debbie 
Shigenaga, and grants provisional country clearance for 
Booz Allen Hamilton staff, Paul Tetrault, Kimberly 
Kotnik, and Bruce Brong to travel to Mozambique, 
collectively, from October 01 to October 26, 2006, to 
further develop the program design and due diligence 
for the Government of Mozambique's proposal. 
 
Please advise as soon as possible regarding any 
schedule or itinerary changes; refer to para 8 
regarding visa requirements. 
 
¶2.  Control Officer: John Wysham, Chief Econ/Commercial 
Officer at the Embassy, will be the control officer. He 
can be contacted at: 
 
-- Office telephone:  (258) 2149-27-97, ext.3425 
-- Office fax:        (258) 2149-35-74 
-- Cellular:          (258) 82-315-7170 
 
¶3.  Hotel Reservations: Post has made hotel 
reservations at the Hotel Avenida for the MCC staff. 
The rate for a single room is USD$110.00, which 
includes a breakfast buffet. Maputo per diem is 
currently USD$224.00 (lodging USD$146 and 
meals/incidentals USD$78). The hotel accepts U.S. 
Dollars or South African Rand; Diners Club, VISA, 
MasterCard, or American Express credit cards for 
payment of hotel bills. 
 
The hotel can be contacted at: 
 
-- Telephone:         (258) 21 49-10-01 
-- Fax:               (258) 21 49-14-80 
-- E-Mail             bookings@hotelavenida.co.mz 
 
Reservation Policy: Hotels charge for no-shows and most will 
debit one day's room rate for no-shows and reservations 
canceled with less than twenty-four hours' notice prior to 
arrival. Therefore, advance planning and prompt notification 
of changes well in advance of the twenty-four hour limit are 
necessary otherwise such charges will be assessed to the 
intended traveler.  Please contact your control officer 
promptly with details of any changes. 
 
Expeditor will pick-up and drop off at airport.  All 
other logistical requirements have been arranged. 
 
¶4.  Medical Services: Maputo has limited medical 
facilities.  Visitors will have to be medevaced in the 
event of a major injury or illness. In the past, we 
have had visitors nearly die because details of their 
medevac insurance were not readily available.  Post is 
therefore very strict in not granting country clearance 
unless we are assured that the traveler is adequately 
covered if a medevac is required. 
 
Direct Hire employees (not contractors) of the 
Department of State, USAID, Department of Defense, CDC, 
and Peace Corps have country clearance and need not 
take any 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.  Country Clearance is granted upon 
receipt of that information. 
 
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.  Country 
clearance will not be granted to contractors without 
medevac insurance. 
 
Post has been provided the required medevac information 
for MCC staff. Post requires medevac information for 
Booz Allen Hamilton staff before granting country 
clearance. 
 
¶5.  CONSULAR REGISTRATION: ALL TDY VISITORS SPENDING 
 
MAPUTO 00001253  002 OF 003 
 
 
MORE THAN TWO WORKDAYS IN MAPUTO ARE REQUIRED TO 
REGISTER WITH THE CONSULAR SECTION IN THE CHANCERY TO 
ENSURE THAT THE MISSION HAS CURRENT EMERGENCY CONTACT 
INFORMATION FOR EACH VISITOR. 
 
¶6.  Financial Matters: With the exception of the main 
hotels in Maputo, Maputo is essentially a cash economy. 
Credit cards are of limited utility. Vendors will 
accept U.S. dollars (or South African rand) in lieu of 
the local currency, the metical.  For a day trip to 
Maputo, we recommend visitors bring with them USD 100 
in cash for spending money.  Dollars can be exchanged 
at any bank or currency exchange facility.  Embassy 
Maputo recommends against the use of travelers checks, 
as transaction charges are uniformly high.  Please note 
that Embassy Maputo will need fiscal data in the event 
that extensive services or goods are required during 
the visit.  There are no currency import/export 
restrictions in effect at this time.  Mozambican 
Airlines (LAM) accepts the American Express credit 
card.  Please note that charge limits are in effect on 
most credit card transactions, and hotel bills need to 
be settled every few days. Mozambique recently 
introduced its new currency: the New Metical 
(abbreviated MTn.) This currency replaces the Metical 
(MT.) One New Metical is equivalent to 1,000 Meticals 
(1 MTn = 1,000 MT.) As a point of reference and at 
today's exchange rates, 1 USD equals approximately 25 
MTn and 25,000 MT. From July 1st, 2006 through December 
31st, 2006, both currencies are in circulation, and all 
prices are expressed in both currencies. After December 
31st, 2006, only the New Metical will be in 
circulation. Visitors to Mozambique should be aware of 
the difference between the two currencies while they 
are both in circulation. The only obvious difference to 
those unfamiliar with Mozambican currency is that the 
New Metical has three fewer zeros. The largest New 
Metical note is 1,000 MTn (versus 500,000 MT.) The 
smallest New Metical note is 20 MTn (versus 10,000 MT.) 
For further guidance please refer to the images of the 
New Metical on our intranet site at 
http://maputo.state.gov/Sections/FMO/fmo.htm 
 
¶7.  Visas: Visas are required for entry into 
Mozambique, and the US Embassy Maputo urges travelers 
to have them prior to traveling. Travelers arriving 
from a country without a Mozambican embassy can get 
visas at the airport or land border entry points for 20 
USD or 300 MTn. 
Those arriving from a country with a Mozambican embassy 
can obtain visas at the airport or land border entry 
points for 25 USD.  Diplomatic visitors without visas 
will have their passports held pending processing of a 
visa, which requires Embassy Maputo to process a 
diplomatic note. 
There is an airport departure tax payable only in cash, 
of 10 USD or equivalent in Metical or Rand for regional 
flights, and 20 USD for Intercontinental. 
 
¶8.  Security/Threat Assessment: The biggest threat 
facing U.S. citizens visiting Mozambique is crime. The 
State Department has designated Mozambique a critical- 
threat post for crime.  Street crime and vehicle 
hijackings are common and can be violent.  Visitors 
must be vigilant when out in public areas and should 
not display jewelry or other items of high value. 
Visitors should avoid carrying backpacks or purses, as 
these can draw unwanted attention of would-be muggers. 
Isolated areas, such as along the Marginal (the area 
along the sea), should be avoided as joggers and 
pedestrians have been mugged frequently, even during 
daylight hours. 
 
THERE ARE NO KNOWN TERRORIST GROUPS ACTIVE IN 
MOZAMBIQUE AND NO CURRENT INDICATIONS THAT U.S. 
CITIZENS ARE BEING TARGETED BY TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
THE POLICE ARE POORLY PAID, POORLY EQUIPPED, AND LACK 
THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT U.S. CITIZENS ARE ACCUSTOMED 
TO IN THE UNITED STATES.  VISITORS REQUIRING EMERGENCY 
ASSISTANCE SHOULD NOT RELY ON LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES, 
BUT SHOULD CONTACT THE MARINE SECURITY GUARD AT POST 
ONE AT (01) 49-07-23.  MOZAMBICAN LAW REQUIRES THAT ALL 
PERSONS CARRY AN IDENTITY DOCUMENT, SUCH AS A PASSPORT, 
WHEN OUT IN PUBLIC AND PRODUCE IT IF REQUESTED BY 
POLICE.  A COPY OF PASSPORT IDENTITY AND VISA PAGES IS 
ACCEPTABLE.  THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS IN THE CITY OF 
MAPUTO WHERE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IS PROHIBITED, E.G., IN 
 
MAPUTO 00001253  003 OF 003 
 
 
FRONT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICES LOCATED NORTH OF THE 
HOTEL POLANA ON THE SEASIDE OF AVENIDA JULIUS NYERERE. 
 
OVERLAND TRAVEL AFTER DARK IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DUE 
TO POOR ROAD CONDITIONS, LACK OF EMERGENCY SERVICES, 
AND THE INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR VEHICLE HIJACKINGS. 
OFFICIAL AMERICANS SERVING IN MOZAMBIQUE ARE PROHIBITED 
FROM OVERLAND TRAVEL OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS DURING THE 
HOURS OF DARKNESS. 
 
TDY VISITORS SPENDING MORE THAN TWO WORKDAYS IN 
MOZAMBIQUE MUST SCHEDULE A SECURITY BRIEFING WITH THE 
REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICER. 
 
¶9.  Transiting Johannesburg Airport: Post urges 
travelers to keep in mind restrictions on carry-on 
luggage on international flights (at present no 
liquids, gels, or cosmetics are permitted to be carried 
on board international flights leaving the United 
States).  Travelers also should bear in mind that 
security of checked baggage is a significant problem 
for travelers who transit Johannesburg airport. Many 
items have been stolen from checked bags, including the 
checked bags themselves. The items stolen most often 
are electronics (including I-Pods, cameras, and alarm 
clocks), toiletries (such as cosmetics, soap, shaving 
kits and cologne) and shoes (especially expensive 
running/athletic shoes).  A LOCKED BAG DOES NOT ENSURE 
SECURITY. One security measure that seems to meet with 
some success is to have your luggage stretch-wrapped at 
your point of departure.  The stretch-wrapping makes it 
more difficult for the thieves to gain access to your 
luggage.  Be aware that flights between Johannesburg 
and Maputo are often serviced by a small plane with 
little space for carry-on luggage.  This may require 
passengers to check their larger carry-on items. Please 
ensure your valuables are kept in a bag small enough to 
carry on your lap to keep them with you at all 
times. We take this problem very seriously and are 
doing what we can to help aid a solution. In brief, 
please: 
 
-- Leave behind irreplaceable valuables; 
-- Always lock your bags; 
-- Have your luggage stretch-wrapped when possible; 
-- Keep your valuables with you in a small carry-on; 
-- Make sure that your carry-on luggage complies with 
current international restrictions/regulations. 
 
¶10.  Health: Travelers are advised that chloroquine 
resistant malaria is present in Mozambique.  The most 
recent guidance from the Department of State Medical 
Office recommends weekly use of mefloquine as the drug 
of choice for malaria prophylaxis in chloroquine- 
resistant areas. Mefloquine must be started one to two 
weeks before arriving at post. Daily doxycycline is an 
alternative regimen. Doxycycline must be started three 
days before arriving at post. Both malaria prophylaxis 
medications must be continued for four weeks after 
departing post. 
 
RASPOLIC