Cablegate: Zimbabwe: 1991 Annual Terrorism Report

P 141153Z NOV 91
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1685
INFO AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
AMEMBASSY MASERU
AMEMBASSY MBABANE
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 10989

STATE FOR S/CT - BREELAND, AF/S, AND INR/IL/RD
LONDON FOR MCKINLEY

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PTER KPRP PREL IZ LY SF ZI
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: 1991 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 346420

1. EMBASSY'S SUBMISSION FOR THE ANNUAL TERRORISM
REPORT, AS OUTLINED REFTEL, FOLLOWS.

A. PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
--------------------------------------------- ----
2. THERE WERE NO PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING TERRORISM IN
1991. IN OCTOBER, FOUR CONVICTED SABOTEURS BEGAN LEGAL
ACTION TO SUE THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE AND A
TELEVISION PRESENTER OVER INTERVIEWS THEY CLAIM THEY
WERE FORCED TO GIVE ON SOUTH AFRICA'S DESTABLILIZATION
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ZIMBABWE. ATTORNEYS FOR THE
FOUR--KEVIN WOODS, MICHAEL SMITH, AND PHILLIP CONJWAYO,
WHO HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR THEIR ROLE IN THE
BOMBING OF AN AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) RESIDENCE
IN THE WESTERN CITY OF BULAWAYO IN 1986, AND BARRY
BAWDEN, WHO WAS JAILED IN THE SAME YEAR FOR HELPING
SOUTH AFRICAN COMMANDOS RAID ANC OFFICES--LODGED PAPERS
IN THE HIGH COURT IN HARARE SEEKING AN URGENT INTERDICT
AGAINST THE INTERVIEWS BEING BROADCAST.

3. THE AFFIDAVITS SUBMITTED BY THE FOUR MEN CLAIM THEY
WERE TAKEN SEPARATELY FROM THEIR CELLS AND THRUST UNDER
TELEVISION LIGHTS AND INTERVIEWED BY JERRY BRICKHILL, A
VETERAN ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVIST WHO WAS SEVERELY INJURED
IN A BOMB BLAST IN HARARE IN 1987. BRICKHILL IS SUING
THE FOUR INDEPENDENTLY FOR CIVIL DAMAGES, ALLEGING THEY
WERE INVOLVED IN THE BOMB BLAST THAT WOUNDED HIM. THE
FOUR CLAIM THAT IN THEIR AFFIDAVITS THAT WARDERS
SUGGESTED THEY MIGHT BE RELEASED IF THEY COOPERATED WITH
BRICKHILL, WHO INTERVIEWED THEM FOR BRITISH TELEVISION.
THEY ARE SEEKING A COURT ORDER TO HAVE THE TAPES AND
TRANSCRIPTS OF THE INTERVIEW RETURNED TO THEM, AS WELL
AS AN INTERDICT PREVENTING ANY FURTHER INVASION OF THEIR
PRIVACY. AN AFFIDAVIT FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
OFFICE DENIES THAT ANY PRISON REGULATIONS WERE FLOUTED
DURING THE CONDUCT OF THE INTERVIEWS, BUT LAWYERS
REPRESENTING MR. BRICKHILL SAY THE FOUR SABOTEURS
COOPERATED WILLINGLY. NO DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR THE
HEARING.

B. EXTRADITION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS
---------------------------------------
4. ZIMBABWE NEITHER EXTRADITED NOR REQUESTED
EXTRADITION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS IN 1991.

C. SIGNIFICANT IMPEDIMENTS TO PROSECUTION AND EXTRADITION
--------------------------------------------- ------------
5. THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPEDIMENTS TO HOST
GOVERNMENT PROSECUTION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS.
HOWEVER, ZIMBABWE DOES NOT HAVE EXTRADITION TREATIES
WITH MANY NON-COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES.

D. ZIMBABWE'S RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
--------------------------------------------- ----
6. DURING AND AFTER THE CONFLICT IN THE GULF, THE
GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE PROVIDED ARMED SECURITY PERSONNEL
TO PROTECT MANY EMBASSIES, INCLUDING THE AMERICAN
MISSION. TWO IRAQIS SUSPECTED OF PLOTTING A TERRORIST
ACT AGAINST THE AMERICAN EMBASSY WERE DEPORTED BY THE
GOVERNMENT IN JANUARY.

7. ONLY ONE TERRORIST INCIDENT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN
ZIMBABWE IN 1991. A SMALL BOMB EXPLODED INSIDE THE
HARARE SHERATON HOTEL ON JULY 20, CAUSING EXTENSIVE
DAMAGE TO THE HOTEL'S FIRST THREE FLOORS, WHICH HOUSE
RESTAURANTS, CONFERENCE ROOMS, AND SHOPS. THREE PEOPLE
WERE INJURED, TREATED AT LOCAL HOSPITALS, AND RELEASED.
THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE SUSPECTS THAT SOUTH AFRICAN
ELEMENTS OR MIDDLE EASTERN GOVERNMENT AGENTS CARRIED OUT
THE BOMBING. THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT SUSPECTS THAT
THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT WAS INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT.

8. TWO LIBYANS WERE DEPORTED FROM ZIMBABWE IN 1991.
ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE IN THE NOVEMBER 3 EDITION OF THE
HARARE SUNDAY TIMES, THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE DEPORTED
THE TWO LIBYANS IN AUGUST 1991 FOR "SECURITY REASONS."
THE MEN--ABDUSSALIM ELGMATT, AN EDITORIAL COORDINATOR OF
THE WORLD MATHABA MAGAZINE, AND ALI KHALEF, A
CLERK--WERE DEPORTED ON AUGUST 22. ELGMATT HAD PLANNED
TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH AFRICAN HEADS OF STATE,
INCLUDING PRESIDENT MUGABE, AND LEADERS OF SOUTHERN
AFRICAN LIBERATION MOVEMENTS. THE ZIMBABWEAN EMBASSY IN
TRIPOLI ISSUED THE TWO MEN VISAS. IN JUNE 1989, THE
THEN LIBYAN AMBASSADOR, MOHAMMED ISAMADAH, WAS ALSO
EXPELLED FOR SECURITY REASONS.

E. MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN IN 1991
--------------------------------------------- -------
9. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO CROSS BORDER ATTACKS IN 1991,
FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS THE MOZAMBICAN NATIONAL RESISTANCE
(MNR OR RENAMO) HAS OPERATED ACROSS THE
MOZAMBIQUE-ZIMBABWE BORDER, COMMITTING ATROCITIES ON
BOTH SIDES. THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE RESPONDED BY
DEPLOYING TROOPS ALONG THE EASTERN BORDER AND INTO PARTS
OF MOZAMBIQUE TO COMBAT THE BANDITS. IN SEPTEMBER 1991,
THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE AND USAID AGREED TO JOINTLY
PROGRAM UP TO US$500,000 TO CONSTRUCT RECEPTION CENTERS
FOR REFUGEES FLEEING THE CONFLICT.

F. ZIMBABWEAN SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
--------------------------------------------- ----
10. ZIMBABWE DOES NOT SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM.
HOWEVER, THE PLO IS ACCORDED FULL DIPLOMATIC STATUS WITH
AN ACCREDITED AMBASSADOR WHO IS THE DEAN OF THE
DIPLOMATIC CORPS. THE GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZES THE
SO-CALLED STATE OF PALESTINE.

G. PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF TERRORISM
--------------------------------------------
11. ALTHOUGH ZIMBABWE HAS GOOD RELATIONS WITH CUBA,
IRAN, NORTH KOREA, AND THE PLO, IT HAS NOT MADE ANY
PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF A TERRORIST-SUPPORTING
COUNTRY ON A TERRORISM ISSUE.

H. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ATTITUDE TOWARD TERRORISM
--------------------------------------------- -------
12. THE GULF WAR HAS LED THE GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE ITS
ATTITUDE TOWARD TERRORISM AND TERRORIST-SUPPORTING
STATES OVER THE PAST YEAR. RELATIONS WITH IRAQ, IN
PARTICULAR, HAVE COOLED, AS HAVE RELATIONS WITH CUBA AND
LIBYA.

SNIDER

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