VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKU #0493/01 1371322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171322Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1423
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3335

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000493 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OTRA AMGT ASEC KU IZ
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR AMBASSADOR 
CHRISTOPHER HILL AND SPECIAL ADVISOR GORDON GRAY 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 1275 
 
¶1.  Embassy Kuwait welcomes and hereby grants country 
clearance for Ambassador Christopher Hill and Senior Advisor 
Mr. Gordon Gray to travel to post on Monday, May 18, 2009 for 
a meeting with Ambassador Deborah K. Jones. 
 
¶2.  This clearance is not/not valid for entry into Iraq; you 
must apply for Iraq clearance through Embassy Baghdad. 
 
¶3.  Embassy Point of Contact:  Peter O'Donohue, Political 
Chief.  Phone:  965-2-259-1462.  Fax:  965-2-259-1051. 
 
¶4.  Lodging:  As Ambassador Hill and Mr. Gray will be 
departing Kuwait at the conclussion of the meeting, 
accommodations have not been arranged. 
 
¶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 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 Sunday through 
Thursday. 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) 
2-259-1001, and the IVG number is 4950000.  The mission duty 
officer can be reached through the embassy switchboard, Post 
One, or by cell phone at (965) 9-967-7265.  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 
dehydration.  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 
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 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 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 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 
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. 
 
¶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/ 
 
********************************************* * 
 
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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: 
 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it 
********************************************* ********* 
JONES