US embassy cable - 05PARIS6975

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006975 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/WE 
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR BETH LORATTO, FOSSIL ENERGY, FAX 
NUMBER 301-903-4106 OR ELIZABETH.LORATTO@HQ.DOE.GOV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TPHY, ENRG, TRGY, KSCA, OTRA, UK, FR 
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE: FRANCE VISIT OF DOE, GLASER 
PLUS THREE, OCTOBER 17 - 25, 2005 
 
REF: STATE 187214 
 
1.  Country Clearance is provided for following employees of 
Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy, to travel to 
Nancy, France, October 17 - 25, 2005: 
 
FRED M. GLASER 
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ADVANCED RESEARCH 
 
BERNARD S. COVINO 
RESEARCH CHEMIST 
NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY 
 
IAN G. WRIGHT, 
DISTINGUISHED STAFF MEMBER 
UT-BATTELLE, LLC - CONTRACTOR 
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY 
 
BIMAL K. KAD 
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER/ASSOCIATE RESEARCH PROFESSOR 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO - CONTRACTOR 
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY 
 
Travelers will attend a meeting of the organizing committee 
for the Seventh Les-Embiez Conference on High-Temperature 
Corrosion and Protection of Alloys and Coatings. 
 
Please be aware that check-in time for hotels in France is 
officially 3:00 pm.  If you require a room to be ready 
earlier you will have to pay lodging for the night before 
arrival and your travel orders should reflect this 
requirement.  Concerning luggage, as a convenience, hotels 
may allow travelers to leave their personal luggage at their 
hotel prior to 3:00 pm on the day of check-in.  If travelers 
cannot pay an additional day for an early check-in, it is up 
to the traveler to negotiate with the hotel to leave baggage 
prior to check-in. 
 
2.  Control Officer for the visit is Science Counselor 
Robert Dry who can be reached by e-mail at Dryrw@State.gov, 
by phone at 33-143-12-2550 or by FAX at 33-143-12-2941.  He 
can also be reached at home via the Embassy switchboard at 
01-43-12-22-22. 
 
3.  Upon arrival in France, please contact your Control 
Officer to provide updated contact information.  Your control 
officer can provide information about any special security 
concerns/considerations for France.  In the event of a crisis 
or serious international incident involving the United 
States, you must immediately contact your Control Officer. 
 
4.  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. 
 
5.  Embassy wishes to remind visitors that visas are 
required for holders of U.S. diplomatic or official 
passports on official business in France. 
 
6.  Action request:  Each visitor must bring a copy of 
his/her 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 not provided for employees at the rank under 
Assistant Secretary.  Visitors should take taxi, Air France 
bus, or rapid train service (RER) from airport. 
 
7.  Following is current security information for France: 
 
(A) Terrorism:  The current security situation remains 
fluid, and American citizens should be aware of the 
potential risks and to take these into consideration when 
making travel plans.  Visitors should maintain a low 
profile, vary routes and times for all required travel, and 
treat mail and packages from unfamiliar sources with 
suspicion.  Additionally, in response to acts of terrorism 
within France, the French Government has continued its 
terrorism awareness posture, the "Plan Vigipirate."   This 
plan calls for increased vigilance on the part of the 
general public, particularly in crowded public places which 
could be attractive targets for terrorists.  French security 
services are also continuing to conduct identity checks and 
vehicular searches of the general public.  All visitors to 
France are encouraged to assess their security posture, 
exercise prudent security practices, and report any 
suspicious incidents to the regional Security Office, 
Embassy Extension 2132. 
 
(B) Crime:  As with many large metropolitan cities, street 
crime in a problem.  The two major problems in this regard 
are pick pocketing and thefts of opportunity.  Tourist 
attractions, the public transportation system (both metro 
and RER), and some of the better-known hotels are considered 
to be main target areas.  Robbers have been known to use 
tear gas-type spray either prior to the robbery or to divert 
the victim's attention or following the attack to prevent 
pursuit.  A good strategy is to secure valuables in hotel 
facilities and carry only a minimal amount of money/credit 
cards on the street.  Criminals have been known to enter 
hotel rooms to steal money, credit cards, etc.  They have 
also been known to approach a room even if the occupant is 
present; visitors are urged to exercise caution when 
admitting unknown persons into hotel rooms.  Hotel occupants 
should directly hand room keys to hotel personnel when 
departing because thieves are known to pick up unattended 
keys from hotel counter tops.  While the threat of criminal 
activity is somewhat reduced in outlying cities, caution is 
still recommended.  All crimes or untoward incidents should 
be reported to the Regional Security Office. 
 
(C) Electronic devices: Privately-owned laptops and personal 
computers are prohibited in controlled access areas (CAAs) 
of the Mission and consulates.  Travelers with USG 
unclassified and classified laptop or notebook computers 
 
SIPDIS 
should review '95 State 244394 (classified machines) and '95 
State 243825  (unclassified machines) and notify the 
Information Management Office (IMO) before bringing these 
machines into a CAA.  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. 
 
8.  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 and Prevention (CDC) website contains a detailed 
analysis of risks involved at: 
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases.htm. 
 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
STAPLETON