US embassy cable - 05PARIS5200

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS SEC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN, OTRA, FR 
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE:  SEC Official: Alton Harvey 
 
REF: STATE 139276 
 
1.  Country clearance is provided for Alton Harvey, U.S. 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to travel to 
Paris, France August 3-5, 2005.  The purpose of travel is to 
attend a meeting of the Business Continuity Planning (BCP) 
Working Group of the Joint Forum. 
 
2.  Embassy Paris point of contact is Economic Counselor, 
Kenneth Merten, who can be reached by phone at 
33.1.43.12.27.24 or by email at .  He 
can also be reached through the Embassy switchboard at 
33.1.43.12.22.22. 
 
3. Per REFTEL, no Embassy assistance has been requested. 
 
4. Your point of contact will contact you if needed to 
notify you of any special security concerns/considerations 
for France.  In the event of a crisis or serious 
international incident involving the United States, you 
should immediately contact your control officer. 
 
5. Mission Media Policy: In accordance with Embassy Paris 
media policy, visitors from all agencies should coordinate 
all media events, including press interviews or statements, 
with the Embassy press officer. 
 
6. Embassy wishes to remind visitors that visas are required 
for holders of U.S. diplomatic or official passports on 
official business in France. 
 
7.  Action request: Each visitor must bring a copy of their 
travel orders (or forward fiscal data) to cover costs of 
visit.  Each agency, organization, or visiting delegation 
will be charged for the actual costs attributed to their 
visit.  These costs include, but are not limited to, 
American and FSN overtime, field travel by Embassy 
employees, vehicle rentals, long distance telephone calls, 
equipment rentals, representational events and all other 
costs that are directly attributable to the visit.  Airport 
pickup is provided only for employees at the rank of 
Assistant Secretary or above.  Other visitors should take 
taxi, Air France bus, or rapid train service (RER) from 
airport. 
 
8.  Following is current security information for France: 
 
(A) Terrorism:  The current terrorism threat in France 
mirrors the general worldwide threat.  Trans-national terror 
groups such as al-Qaida likely have a presence in France and 
do present a general threat.  French law enforcement and 
intelligence services are effective in responding to this 
threat and remain in a heightened state of alert, but cannot 
completely negate it.  For this reason American citizens 
should practice good personal security when visiting France. 
Remaining unpredictable is perhaps the simplest but most 
effective way of ensuring personal safety.  This is 
particularly true when departing or arriving at your place 
of residence.  Being aware of your surroundings and 
suspicious persons or activities is also critically 
important.  Do not accept packages, do not open hotel doors 
to strangers and immediately report any suspicious 
activities to the police (telephone 17) and Regional 
Security Office (telephone 33.1.43.12.27.96). 
 
(B) Crime:  Street crime in French cities is similar to that 
in most large metropolitan areas.  The two most frequent 
crimes are pick pocketing and snatch/run theft.  These 
criminals most often ply their trade on public 
transportation routes used by tourists and at tourist sites. 
In Paris, visitors should be particularly alert when using 
Metro lines number one and two, in addition to the RER 
trains serving the airports.  Tourist sites such as the 
Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the major museums and the Avenue 
des Champs Elysees are all areas of heavy activity. 
Visitors should use hotel safes whenever possible to store 
valuables and excess cash.  Awareness should go up when 
conditions are crowded.  Maintain control of camera and 
bags; do not carry these items behind you.  Criminals on 
metros often push into you for distraction and pickpocket 
while doing so.  Another technique is to grab valuables and 
escape just as the metro doors are closing.  If credit cards 
are stolen, proceed to the nearest telephone and immediately 
notify the card issuer.  Stolen credit cards are used 
immediately.  Whenever possible, take a seat or keep your 
back to a wall when on the metro system.  It is also 
recommended that a photocopy of your passport identification 
page be carried in lieu of the passport itself.  Report any 
incident to the Regional Security Office as soon as 
possible. 
 
(C) Electronic devices: privately owned laptops and personal 
computers are prohibited in controlled access areas (CAAs) 
of the Mission and consulates.  Cellular telephones are also 
prohibited in the CAA and must be left outside this area. 
Questions concerning other types of electronic devices may 
be directed to the Information Management Office or Regional 
Security Office. 
 
(D) Travelers planning to stay longer than 30 days are 
required to schedule a security briefing with the RSO.  For 
additional threat assessment information regarding France 
and/or Europe, you may contact DS/ITA in the State 
Department at (202) 663-0787. 
 
9. Health Concerns: For up-to-date information on Severe 
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Mad Cow Disease and other 
health precautions for France, the U.S. Centers for Disease 
Control (CDC) website contains a detailed analysis of risks 
involved at: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases.htm 
 
Wolff