Cablegate: Mission Assistance to U.S. Business

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

UNCLAS HARARE 000336

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/CBA Michael A. Garcia

E. O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP BBSR ECON EINV ETRD ZI
SUBJECT: Mission Assistance to U.S. Business

Ref: State 29441

1. Reftel asks us to summarize efforts to assist U.S.
businesses, including success cases, here in Zimbabwe.
Because of our strained bilateral relations, it is often
not practical for the Embassy to advocate on behalf U.S.
businesses. We have lobbied the GOZ, thus far
unsuccessfully, to return farms or offer compensation to
several Amcit farmers, whose land has been seized under
fast-track land reform.

2. In our daily dealings with U.S. firms and through the
American Business Association, which we presently
administer, we have let the American business community
know that we are available to provide any level of
support. Most of our daily assistance does not rise to
the "success story" level, however. We sporadically
provide gold-key service in conjunction with the U.S.
Commercial Service, but given the paucity of new foreign
direct investment in Zimbabwe (FDI inflows have dropped
from US$ 444 to 3 million in the last 5 years), this is
not a big part of our workload. For that reason, our
role is slightly different than that of our counterparts
in more stable economies. Most U.S. companies are merely
trying to tread water rather than expand business.

Sullivan

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