Cablegate: President's 2002 Agoa Report, Zimbabwe

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 000928

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EX, HR/OE
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER
USDOC FOR 2037 DIEMOND
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
PASS USTR - PCOLEMAN, WJACKSON
RIO FOR WEISSMAN
TREASURY FOR ED BARBER AND C WILKINSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD PREL PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT'S 2002 AGOA REPORT, ZIMBABWE
RESPONSE

REF: STATE 64055

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.
NOT FOR INTERNET POSTING.

1. (SBU) Per reftel request we provide the following
information:

== Zimbabwe is not currently an AGOA beneficiary and
government behavior both before and since the recent
presidential election continues to drastically reduce the
prospect of it qualifying in the near and likely medium
term, absent a change of government. In all four broad
areas (market economy, rule of law, poverty reduction and
human rights) Zimbabwe has been and looks set to continue
backslidng. Serious threats to and attacks on an open-
market economy based on respect for private property
rights and the rule of law are sponsored and carried out
by the GOZ. Politically-driven, disastrous, economic
policies are still being pursed, causing disposable
income, the formal job count and standards of living to
fall precipitously.

== Examples of such policies are myriad and include: the
illegal occupation, looting and seizure of commercial
farms with government sanction and support; violence
directed at opposition political party members and
supporters; a fraudulent election; intimidation of the
judiciary, independent press and labor movement; non-
equal protection under the law; a blind eye turned to
corruption and cronyism; price controls and a grossly
undervalued official currency peg; circumvention of the
mandated tender processes; the control of hard currency
proceeds from exports, and threats by President Mugabe to
seize or nationalize all non indigenous-owned commercial
and productive assets in the country.

2. (U) We have conducted no AGOA outreach training or
programming, and though the private sector and many civil
servants would like to see policies change so as to enjoy
AGOA benefits, current conditions and the outlook remain
far from even minimal compliance from either the spirit
or letter of the legislation.

WHITEHEAD

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