Cablegate: Media Report - Commonwealth and Eu Pressures On

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

291246Z Oct 01

UNCLASSIFIED PTO0671

PAGE 01 HARARE 03236 291318Z
ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00
DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 LAB-01 VCE-00
NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02
NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W
------------------36C1F1 291319Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0139
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003236

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S, AF/P, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR
JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM OCII
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT - COMMONWEALTH AND EU PRESSURES ON
HARARE

1. EDITORIALS IN THE OCTOBER 25 EDITIONS OF THE
INDEPENDENT WEEKLY "THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE," AND THE TWO
GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILIES "THE HERALD" AND THE
"CHRONICLE," FOCUS ON ZIMBABWE'S RELATIONS WITH THE
EUROPEAN UNION AND THE COMMONWEALTH. EXCERPTS FOLLOW:

2. UNDER HEADLINE "NO MORE GAMES," THE "FINANCIAL
GAZETTE" PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING EDITORIAL COMMENT ON
PAGE ONE:

"THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) WAS THIS WEEK FORCED TO ISSUE
AN ULTIMATUM TO PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE'S GOVERNMENT TO
ALLOW EU OBSERVERS TO CHECK ON THE VALIDITY OF
ZIMBABWE'S IMPENDING PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT OR THE EU WILL
TAKE DRASTIC ACTION. AFTER MUCH DITHERING BY THE 15-
NATION EU IN THE FAINT HOPE THAT MUGABE COULD SEE COMMON
SENSE, THE WORLD'S LARGEST TRADING BLOC IS FINALLY
MAKING THE POINT THAT THE TIME FOR POLITICAL THEATRICS
AND SHEER MADNESS BY ZIMBABWE'S LEADERS IS OVER. . .

AS THE EU, THE COMMONWEALTH FOREIGN MINISTERS WHO ARE
GATHERING IN ZIMBABWE THIS WEEK MUST FORCEFULLY TELL
MUGABE THAT THE TIME FOR HIS DANGEROUS GAMES WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND ZIMBABWEANS IS UP.

. . .THUS THE VISITING COMMONWEALTH TEAM AND THE ENTIRE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY BEAR THE GRAVEST MORAL AND LEGAL
RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY ARE THESE ACTS OF
MADNESS STOPPED WITHOUT DELAY BUT THAT ZIMBABWEANS DO
HAVE MINIMUM CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH A FREE AND FAIR
BALLOT CAN BE STAGED. ANYTHING ELSE WILL NOT DO. . ."

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HARARE 03236 291318Z
3. UNDER HEADLINE "EU'S DOUBLE STANDARDS ABOMINABLE,"
THE "HERALD" COMMENTS:

"THE DEMANDS AND ULTIMATUMS ISSUED THIS WEEK BY THE EU
ON ZIMBABWE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO ALLOW EU OBSERVERS IN
THE COUNTRY DURING NEXT YEARS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IS
A FIRST AND DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT, WHICH THREATENS THE
AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC-EU PARTNERSHIP. THE
GOVERNMENT DID THE RIGHT THING IN REJECTING THE
ULTIMATUM, AND FORTHRIGHTLY TELLING THE EU THAT ZIMBABWE
IS A SOVEREIGN STATE.

...THE EU SHOULD KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT IN RHODESIA. WE
ARE IN ZIMBABWE - A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY THAT
WILL NEVER BECOME A COLONY AGAIN. IT IS ABSURD FOR THE
EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS TO THINK THAT THEY CAN SAVE WHAT
THEY PERCEIVE AS A DETERIORATING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
SITUATION IN THIS COUNTRY BY SLAPPING SANCTIONS. WE
NEED TO REMIND THE EU OF A DANGER THAT DEMANDS AND
ULTIMATUMS CAN EASILY TURN THE PARTNERSHIP INTO A THIRD
WORLD VERSUS EUROPE AFFAIR. IF THAT HAPPENS, THERE WILL
BE NO PARTNERSHIP TO TALK ABOUT. . . ."

4. UNDER HEADLINE "HANDS OFF ZIMBABWE," THE
"CHRONICLE"
COMMENTS:

". . . RECENT EVENTS WHERE THE CONCEPT OF SOVEREIGNTY
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED FOR A GANGSTER APPROACH TO
RELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS ARE NOT ONLY DUMBFOUNDING BUT
EXPOSE THE HYPOCRISY OF SOME PEOPLE WITHIN THE SO-CALLED
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04 HARARE 03236 291318Z
GLOBAL VILLAGE. WE REFER HERE TO THE BEHAVIOR OF THE EU
MEMBERS WHO HAVE GIVEN ZIMBABWE AN ULTIMATUM ON THE
ISSUE OF ELECTION MONITORS. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE EU
HAS ALREADY CONCLUDED THAT THE ELECTIONS WILL BE RIGGED.
IT LEAVES US MORE THAN CONVINCED THAT THE EU HAS ALREADY
COME UP WITH ITS OWN 'PRESIDENT' FOR THE COUNTRY AND
THAT IT WANTS TO SEND ITS AGENTS TO MANIPULATE THE
ELECTIONS TO SUIT ITS AGENDA...

THE SAD THING IS THAT THE PERCEPTION PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS WILL BE RIGGED IS A CREATION OF THE WESTERN
MEDIA AND THEIR AGENTS IN HARARE. WHY DID THE EU NOT
'MONITOR' ELECTIONS IN FLORIDA, A STATE THAT THE WORLD
KNOWS SWUNG THE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, YET IT
WAS MR. BUSH'S KITH WHO WAS PRESIDING OVER THEM? WHEN
LOSING CANDIDATE AL GORE MADE NOISE, THE EU MAINTAINED A
DEAFENING SILENCE. . .

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

>

© Scoop Media