Cablegate: Media Reaction Iraq; Harare

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

UNCLAS HARARE 000268

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

1. Under headline "Stop acting headboy" the
government-controlled daily "Chronicle"
dedicated its February 6 editorial to urging the
United States and Britain to "desist from
attacking" Iraq, adding that only the United
Nations Security Council has the mandate "to
hunt down all nations" amassing weapons of mass
destruction. Excerpts:

2. ". . .The Americans and their British cousins are
already beating the war drums as they psyche up (sic)
for a war with Iraq. They are alleging that President
Saddam Hussein might be harboring weapons of mass
destruction, a clear excuse to topple the Iraqi leader
because he has refused to toe their line. Africa
yesterday said no to war on Iraq. . . We applaud the
AU position on Iraq and demand that the United States
and Britain listen to the voice of reason and desist
from attacking that country. It is only the United
Nations Security Council which has the mandate to take
drastic action on a nation if it is deemed necessary. .
. While we do not support the building of weapons of
mass destruction, we believe it is not the business of
the U.S. and Britain to hunt down all nations that have
these weapons, but that of the U.N. The naked truth
and purpose of the American and British plan to attack
Iraq appears to be clearly that of trying to promote
their business interests. They want a change of
government in that country in the same way they are
trying to topple President Mugabe's government because
of land reforms. We wish to remind them that the power
to remove or retain a head of state in a country rests
with the people of that country. The Americans and the
British should leave the people of Iraq alone."

SULLIVAN

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