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 000326

SIPDIS

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

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

1. Under headline "Bush abusing his office" the
government-controlled daily "Chronicle"
dedicated its February 18 editorial to declaring
that the current standoff between the United
States and Iraq is about the control of Iraqi
oil. "(President George W.) Bush and his
Chihuahuas. . .want to persecute the people of
Iraq for their oil under the cover of human
rights," the editorial stated. Adding "If
anything, we believe that it is the American
President who is guilty of abusing his office,
imposing his will on the rest of us and grossly
violating human rights." Excerpts:

2. "Those who espouse democracy would say that its
major tenet is the happiness of the greater number.
We believe that those who want to work against the
happiness of the greater number would largely be
viewed as dictators or autocrats. We refer to the
unyielding stance taken by the President of the United
States, George W. Bush, who seems intent on defying
world opinion in his quest to pursue a parochial
agenda of war. Bush and his Chihuahuas, among them
Tony Blair and John Howard, want to persecute the
people of Iraq for their oil under the cover of human
rights. The world knows why Iraq is so important to
American foreign policy. There is no need for Bush to
throw a blanket over world opinion because the crux of
the matter is that America is fighting to control
Iraqi oil and President Saddam Hussein stands accused
of standing in the way of that American dream. We
believe the Americans should come clean on their
involvement in the Middle East, where they are
selective about the application of human rights. If
anything, we believe that it is the American President
who is guilty of abusing his office, imposing his will
on the rest of us and grossly violating human rights.

"If there were elections to send criminals of
war to the International Court of Justice, we
believe that the world would have voted
unanimously through the international protests
directed at Bush et al. The verdict would be a
foregone conclusion. It is about time that real
criminals were taken to the Court because the
world could do better without them. We are yet
to see whether Bush and his boys will go ahead
with their war plan against a defiant world
opinion that believes life is more important
than oil. This will confirm a view that we have
long held, that, to quote London Mayor Ken
Livingstone; `George Bush has never given a damn
about human rights.' The `war' is about oil."

SULLIVAN

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