VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0165/01 0511540
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201540Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2994
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 6589
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 4356
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA PRIORITY 7259
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000165 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ELA; TREASURY FOR CURTAIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT ASEC AFIN PREL SY
SUBJECT: SYRIA COUNTRY CLEARANCE KENNETH CURTAIN AND 
KRISTOFER DOUCETTE, FEBRUARY 23-27 
 
REF: DEPT OF TREASURY 141633Z 
 
 
¶1. Embassy Damascus welcomes and grants country clearance for 
the proposed visit of Kenneth Curtain and Kristofer Doucette, 
Representatives of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, 23-27 
February 2007.  Travelers will be met and assisted at the 
airport, after clearing customs, by an embassy driver, who 
will display a sign with the Visitors' names. 
 
¶2. Control officer and point of contact for this visit is 
Economic Officer, Stacey Jones, who can be reached at work: 
(963)-(11) 3391-3910; cell: (963) 093-302-143; home: 
(963)-(11)371-3279; or embassy fax number: (963)-(11) 
3391-3999. 
 
¶3. Action Request:  Each visitor must bring a copy of travel 
orders or provide fiscal data to cover the costs of the 
visit.  Costs include, but are not limited to, American and 
FSN overtime, border crossing fees, field travel by Embassy 
employees, transportation costs for official vehicles, long 
distance telephone calls, equipment rentals, representational 
events, and other costs directly attributable to the visit. 
Upon requesting hotel reservations, visitor should provide a 
credit card number to guarantee the reservations and must let 
Post know at least 24 hours in advance of any amendment or 
cancellation of the reservations to avoid personal credit 
card charges.  Any hotel cancellation charges will be billed 
to the traveler. 
 
¶4. Persons arriving in Syria on a single entry visa and who 
will be staying in excess of 10 days are required to obtain a 
"verification stamp" in their passports after their arrival. 
Visitors should also confirm onward flight reservations 72 
hours prior to departure. 
 
¶5. Visa Requirement: Every traveler must have a valid Syrian 
visa prior to departure for Damascus. The Syrian government 
will not/not normally grant airport or border visas. 
Travelers should apply for visas well in advance, as 
processing time is often slow. Currently, Syrian visas for 
Americans can only be issued by the Syrian Embassy in 
Washington.  Persons traveling on passports bearing an 
Israeli visa or entry or exit stamp, or persons born in the 
Gaza region or of Gazan descent, will be refused entry to 
Syria.  The Syrian government rigidly enforces restrictions 
on prior travel to Israel. Israeli stamps in passports, 
Jordanian entry cachets, or cachets from Egypt or other 
countries that suggest prior travel to Israel, may cause 
Syrian immigration authorities to refuse the traveler 
admission to Syria. Likewise, the absence of entry stamps 
from a country adjacent to Israel, which the traveler has 
just visited, will cause Syrian immigration officials to 
refuse admittance. American citizen travelers suspected of 
having traveled to Israel have been detained for questioning. 
 
¶6. Luggage and Transit:  As airlines try to fill flights 
completely, the incidences of luggage not Following 
passengers onboard have increased, especially when transiting 
Europe onto smaller aircraft 
bound for Syria.  All official travelers are cautioned to 
check with their airline at transit points en route to Syria 
(e.g., Paris and Amsterdam) to ensure that their luggage 
remains with their flight. Post recommends that travelers 
from Washington avoid transiting Paris en route to Syria, as 
luggage often arrives late.  Travelers should include any 
essential items in carry-on luggage. 
 
¶7. Security Requirements:  Thank you for providing 
confirmation of Mr. Curtain and Mr. Doucette's Top Secret 
Clearance.  All visitors must receive a briefing from the 
regional security office upon arrival. 
 
¶8. Transportation:  An embassy expediter will meet Mr. 
Curtain and Mr. Doucette after clearing immigration and 
customs and transport them to their hotel.  Post will also 
arrange for transportation to and from official meetings. 
 
¶9. Lodging: Two single rooms have been reserved at The Cham 
Palace for the nights of 23-26 February 2007.  The hotel 
phone number is: 963-(11) 223-2300; fax number is 963-(11) 
3391-4700. The room rate is USD 90 plus 10 percent service, 
plus 11 percent tax per night. This is within per diem and 
does include breakfast. The Cham Palace hotel does accept 
major credit cards. 
 
¶10. Communications Support: Long-distance telephone calls 
 
(for official business only) can be placed from the Embassy 
if the traveler provides a fund cite or has authorization 
from the appropriate agency or section head at Post.  The 
internet can be accessed through a stand-alone PC in the 
Embassy on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no 
charge for this service.  The internet can also be accessed 
from hotels in Damascus by dialing to one of three different 
ISP's in Syria.  There are also several 
internet "cafes" in Damascus. 
 
¶11. Currency Exchange: Due to local requirements that 
non-residents pay their hotel bill in foreign currency, Post 
will disburse a full day of per diem in dollars for each 
night spent in country.  The Embassy Class B Cashier provides 
accommodation exchange from dollars to Syrian pounds at the 
current rate for institutions, against cash, traveler's 
checks, and, with the authorization of the financial 
management officer, personal checks. Reverse accommodation 
exchange is not authorized, in accordance with Syrian 
government regulations.  Personal checks cannot be cashed on 
the final day of the employee's stay.  The last check must be 
presented at least one day before departure. Travelers can 
also purchase pounds at branches of the Commercial Bank of 
Syria.  It is illegal to exchange money except at authorized 
exchange points (i.e., the Embassy and branches of the 
Commercial Bank). 
 
¶12. Photography:  Photography of individuals in uniform 
(including police), government buildings, and military 
installations is strictly forbidden. 
 
¶13. Travel to Lebanon: Any official travel to Lebanon from 
Syria by U.S. government employees of any nationality is 
strictly subject to country clearance from Embassy Beirut. 
Unofficial travel to Lebanon of U.S. government employees and 
dependents also requires advance clearance both from Embassy 
Beirut and from the Department of State. 
 
¶14. Departure Tax:  Syria charges a departure tax of SP200 
(approximately $4), payable in SP cash only.  Travelers with 
diplomatic passports are exempt, but those with official 
passports must pay. 
 
¶15. Health:  Health facilities in Damascus are not up to U.S. 
or European standards, and facilities outside Damascus are 
extremely limited.  Only personnel covered under the State 
Department's medical program and with a valid medical 
clearance for Syria are eligible for medevac at USG cost.  It 
is recommended that all other travelers have medical 
evacuation insurance sufficient to cover evacuation by 
chartered air ambulance, or ensure that their agency will 
cover the cost. 
 
¶16. Threat Assessment:  Political developments and security 
in the Middle East sometimes change quickly. The Embassy was 
attacked, without warning, in September 2006, by a small 
group of terrorists using automatic gunfire and grenades. 
They attempted, unsuccessfully, to detonate a vehicle-borne 
improvised explosive device at the rear gate. One local guard 
was seriously injured and there was at least one Syrian 
fatality in addition to the killing of the four attackers. 
Since the attack, the Embassy has taken 
additional measures to improve its security posture. In 
February 2005, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon was 
assassinated in Beirut, prompting the U.S. to recall its 
Ambassador to Syria for consultations.  There are no plans to 
assign a replacement, reflecting the ongoing difficulties in 
U.S.-Syrian relations. Government-sanctioned demonstrations 
have occasionally included expressions of anti-American or 
anti-Western sentiment. Violent mobs attacked three 
Scandinavian embassies in February 2006.  In general, 
Americans in Syria should vary their schedules, avoid large 
crowds and gatherings, and report suspicious incidents to the 
Regional Security Officer.  They should also avoid electronic 
financial transactions and should not carry valuables or 
large amounts of cash in crowded shopping districts. 
Visitors should also read and follow the guidance in the 
latest public announcements and 
State Department travel advisories for Syria. 
CORBIN