Cablegate: Media Reaction: Mugabe Attacks U. S. And Britain

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

UNCLAS HARARE 000400

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA 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: MUGABE ATTACKS U. S. AND BRITAIN
AT NAM SUMMIT; HARARE

1. The lead story in the February 26 edition of the
government-controlled daily "The Herald" highlights
Mr. Robert Mugabe's broadside against the United
States and Britain at the just-ended Non Aligned
Movement (NAM) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
accusing them "of trying to impose a new form of
colonialism" on weaker nations. "The United States
awakened to the implications of being the sole
superpower, joined by Britain as a born-again
colonialist, and other Western countries have turned
themselves into ferocious hunting bull-dogs raring
to go as they sniff for more blood, Third World
Blood. We are their hunted game for slaughter,"
Mugabe is quoted as saying in the article printed
under headline "President slams Bush and Blair: `U.
S., UK leaders seek to impose new form of
colonialism on weaker nations.'" Excerpts of the
article by Innocent Gore, who accompanied Mr. Mugabe
to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, follow:

2. "President Mugabe yesterday accused the United States
and Britain of trying to impose a new form of colonialism
on developing countries. Speaking at a summit of the 116-
member non-Aligned Movement (NAM), President Mugabe said U.
S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony
Blair were imperialists who wanted to create a world where
powerful `big brother' states imposed their will on weaker
ones. `The U. S. awakened to the implications of being the
sole superpower, joined by Britain as born-again
colonialist, and other Western countries have turned
themselves into ferocious hunting bull-dogs raring to go as
they sniff for more blood, Third World blood. We are their
hunted game for slaughter. The charter of the United
Nations and its sacrosanct tenets of international peace,
the sovereignty of nations and non-interference in domestic
affairs of states, are being desecrated by the day.'

". . .Mugabe said Iraq might have developed or
desired to develop weapons of mass destruction, but
the U. S. should demonstrate what Baghdad should do
by destroying its own massive heaps of nuclear
weapons first. `They should surely teach by
example, and yet they have refused to sign the
treaty on nuclear disarmament. To support the U. S.
administration's zest for aggression on Iraq is to
support a proposed inhuman campaign, which is sure
to see many lives lost,' he said.

". . .Big brother could blatantly use his prejudice
to determine and upset the validity of any elections
in the Third World and declare a validly elected
president of a country illegitimate. `But we must
remain silent about the presidential election fiasco
of the U. S. whose vote failed to produce a winner
until the U. S. Supreme Court, dominated by
Republican judges, imposed Mr. George Bush (Jr.) as
winner. And is it not ironical that Mr. Bush who
was not elected, should deny my legitimacy
established by many observer groups from Africa and
Third World. Who should the world impose sanctions
on, Robert Mugabe or George Bush? The President
said power had become to those who hold it, the
determinant of justice, morality and even legality
and that the governing norms of the Third World had
been greatly eroded. . . ."

SULLIVAN

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