VZCZCXRO6614
RR RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0879/01 1570541
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060541Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 1707
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9300

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000879 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: QA BA KU KMPI OTRA AMGT APER
SUBJECT: KUWAIT COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR HANS WECHSEL 
AND DIMA TOUKAN 
 
REF: ABU DHABI 915 
 
¶1.  Embassy Kuwait welcomes and hereby grants country 
clearance for Hans Wechsel, Regional Office Director, to 
travel to post o/a June 10-11, 2007 and for Dima Toukan, 
Political Women's Issues Specialist, to travel to post o/a 
June 8-10. 
 
¶2.  This clearance is not/not valid for entry into Iraq; one 
must apply for Iraq clearance through Embassy Baghdad. 
 
¶3.  Embassy Point of Contact:  Mark Rosenshield, Political 
Officer.  Phone: 965-259-1690.  Cell: 965-937-0334.  Fax: 
965-259-1051.  Email:  RosenshieldMS@state.gov. Airport 
pick-up has been arranged through the embassy motorpool. 
 
¶4.  Lodging:  One single room has been reserved at the 
Radisson SAS Hotel for one night (June 10-11, 2007) for Mr. 
Wechsel and one single room has been reserved at the Radison 
SAS Hotel for two nights (June 8-10, 2007) for Ms. Toukan. 
The hotel phone number is (965) 575-6000 and the fax number 
is (965) 565-2999.  The single room rate at the hotel is 
approximately USD 252 plus 15% service charge per night, 
which includes breakfast.  The hotel accepts major credit 
cards and is within the per diem rate.  The daily per diem 
rate for Kuwait is USD 291.00 for lodging, plus a meal and 
incidental expense (M&IE) allowance of USD 105.00 for a total 
of USD 396.00. 
 
¶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 military 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 ex 
it/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 
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 120-140F 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 
12:00-15:00.  Low humidity coupled with high temperatures 
creates excessive moisture loss from evaporation.  It is 
necessary to drink 2-4 quarts of water daily to prevent 
 
KUWAIT 00000879  002 OF 003 
 
 
dehydration.  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 
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 2:00pm, 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 secur 
ity 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 attributable 
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 TD Ymodule.  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 
provide any services to a TDYer staying in excess of 30 days 
without having received this documentation prior to day 31 of 
the TDY. 
 
    k. Visit Kuwait's unclassified intranet website at 
http://kuwait.state.gov. 
 
 
KUWAIT 00000879  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶6.  This cable was last updated on October 30, 2006. 
 
********************************************* * 
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/ 
********************************************* * 
 
LeBaron