By Roman Zakaluzny
Post Staff Writer
The U.S. Embassy�s consular section, closed on Nov. 26 due to security concerns and a scheduled holiday, reopened on Dec. 1.
Dozens of Ukrainians, who line up daily outside the consular building at 6 Mykoly Pymonenka to apply for visas, were turned away on Nov. 26 and Nov. 28 after the office received, on Nov. 25, a suspicious package containing an unidentified white, powdery substance. The building was closed while the substance was tested. The tests, which included a bacterial culture test for the anthrax virus, revealed that the substance was benign, an embassy spokesperson said, adding that it was �unfortunate� that the letter containing the powder made it into the building.
The U.S. Embassy building was unaffected.
Both the embassy and consular section were closed Nov. 27 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday.
�The U.S. Embassy regrets any inconvenience,� said Consul General MaryKay Carlson in a notice posted on the embassy�s Web site.
The embassy said the suspicious letter was mailed from within Ukraine, but would not provide additional details, including to whom it was addressed.
The embassy said that the letter has been passed on to Ukrainian security services, which are investigating the matter.
The consular section conducts about 150 interviews for non-immigrant visas daily. The embassy said that 173 visa applicants were rescheduled from Nov. 26, with most being accommodated on Dec. 1. No appointments were scheduled for Nov. 28, as Fridays are administrative days for the consular section and appointments are not scheduled.
Americans with appointments involving the adoption of Ukrainian children were referred to another building on Nov. 26.
The consular section also houses American Citizen Services, which assists U.S. citizens with various problems, including lost passports. The embassy said it was impossible to know how many Americans were inconvenienced by the unscheduled two-day closure, since service is rendered largely on a drop-in basis.
The threat of anthrax bacteria being delivered by mail is still a sensitive subject to U.S. authorities. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, anthrax-laced letters were mailed to U.S. Postal Service buildings, television news offices and the U.S. Senate.
�Given the worldwide threat of terrorism in the U.S. and against Western interests, the mission takes each potential threat seriously,� the embassy said.