COMMENTS - According to the US ambassador at the time, Christopher Dell, in
Wikileaks Cable 07HARARE638:
" 10. ... the current leadership has little executive experience and will require massive hand holding and assistance should they ever come to power.
11. (C) ... But Tsvangarai is also a flawed figure, not readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable judgment in selecting those around him. He is the indispensable element for opposition success, but possibly an albatross around their necks once in power. In short, he is a kind of Lech Walesa character: Zimbabwe needs him, but should not rely on his executive abilities to lead the country's recovery. "
MDCs stretched beyond compass of their wits
06/03/2013 00:00:00
by Tobaiwa Tigere
AS WE approach election season again in Zimbabwe, we are beginning to witness the same old, tired and discredited tricks by Zanu PF’s opponents and Zimbabwe’s detractors in the West, particularly Britain.
This is a precursor to declaring the upcoming election not free and fair, because they know that the MDC-T and MDC have no chance whatsoever of defeating Zanu PF, never mind its faults and frailties.
That they bet on the wrong horse is no longer an issue for debate. The objective now is to drag the horse over the finish line and keep the reins firmly pulled to ensure obedience and compliance throughout its tenure. You will recall the Wikileaks revelation affirming that a Morgan Tsvangirai-led government will need massive hand-holding all the way.
The world must recall that the last elections that were accepted by both Zanu PF and the opposition were in June 2008. These were by-elections in Gwanda, Redcliff and Mpopoma. Zanu PF won two of these three constituencies, and the MDCs never said a word. Now this was in 2008, the year of run-away inflation and record unemployment. We all know that economically the situation is much better in Zimbabwe today, with manageable inflation and stability brought about by the multi-currency system and the prevailing stability in general.
Both Zanu PF and MDC can claim responsibility for different aspects of this stability but certainly things are much better. Add to that the fact that the MDCs have had a four-year stint in government which has been nothing short of scandalous. Facts are facts, palatable or not. Zimbabwe has not seen such incompetence within its local government structures as that which the MDCs brought to the table when they won most urban council elections in 2008. What is the MDC’s reason for such gross incompetence?
It is a known fact in group dynamics that “a fish smells from the head” and certainly there is a rancid smell coming from within the MDC ranks. Zimbabweans were in for another rude awakening with the reckless behavior that Morgan Tsvangirai unleashed on the unsuspecting populace.
Right from the get go, the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai displayed a flagrant disdain for Zimbabweans and their norms and practices by attending the inauguration ceremony of South Africa President Jacob Zuma in the company of one Arikana Chihombori, hardly three months after the tragic death of his wife of three decades.
Just as the country was about to overlook that indiscretion by proffering all sorts of excuses for the recently widowed Tsvangirai, he embarked on a series of sordid affairs that have left a sour taste in the mouths of many Zimbabweans which will certainly follow them into the ballot box later this year.
Surely, an over 55 man consorting with a 21-year-old cannot be morally justifiable, in Zimbabwe anyway. Worse, to impregnate the said 21-year-old and dash for cover, refuse paternity, try to force through an illegal abortion and then accept paternity after being cornered cannot be the kind of behavior we are looking for in our next President? That kind of behaviour is for the common man whose ambitions go nowhere near State House.
Many in Zimbabwe will ask what Tsvangirai’s private affairs have to do with him being President, but they just have to cast their eyes across the Limpopo for answers to that. Mediocrity is mediocrity no matter how we choose to emblazon it. Tsvangirai has been a liability to the MDC and will certainly be a liability to Zimbabwe. The idea that Tsvangirai can somehow miraculously guide Zimbabwe out of its current malaise is akin to the notion that a tornado blowing through a junkyard can somehow assemble a Boeing 767!
In the four years that the MDCs have been in government, we have heard Minister after Minister confess to the superior intellect and strategic ability of Robert Mugabe, even at his advanced age. Said Tendai Biti, the MDC-T secretary general and Finance Minister: “We find counsel and wisdom in him. His importance in this country will be seen once he’s gone. When he’s gone that’s when you will see that this man was Zimbabwe. Some of us who came from different parties have had to learn a lot from the man.”
Now, the same Biti wants Zimbabweans to believe his leader Morgan Tsvangirai, a serial womaniser and a man who has been called an intellectual midget by his erstwhile opposition colleagues, a man who has been called “woefully short on policy” by the EU, will be a better leader for Zimbabwe. This is rank hypocrisy and stinks to high heavens.
What single idea has Tsvangirai offered for Zimbabwe’s recovery in the time that he has been Prime Minister? What single issue has Tsvangirai stood steadfast on, defending it as a matter of principle? Even on a simple issue like homosexuality where he knows full well that over 98% of Zimbabweans said they wanted it outlawed during the constitutional outreach exercise, he chooses to prevaricate when confronted by a journalist on BBC’s Newsnight.
Even on the issue of violence, Tsvangirai is inconsistent. We all know his now infamous rant that if Mugabe doesn’t go peacefully, “we will remove him violently”. We also know what his hired thugs did to a defenceless Trudy Stevenson a few years back. Quite simply, Tsvangirai cannot be trusted and he showed this in no uncertain terms when he deliberately engaged in unprotected sex with three women concurrently, in different countries, on the pretext that his member would not function properly if condomised. I mean seriously?
Another reason why the West and their MDCs are in panic mode and have already started besmirching an electoral outcome that is yet to be decided is the fact that in the past decade, Zanu PF has never been a darling of opinion pollsters and has always been shown to be trailing the MDC-T by an abyss of a margin. Whatever the reasons that have driven outfits such as Freedom House and the Mass Public Opinion Institute to produce surveys that show Mugabe and Zanu PF leading the MDC-T in recent opinion polls, the fact remains that something drastic has changed within the regime change establishment.
Assuming that the polls are accurate, well then the writing is on the wall for the MDC-T and the sooner they start packing their empty desks in various government offices the better.
Assuming that the polls are managed, still there is a problem for the MDC-T because they have to ask themselves why their erstwhile Western funded pollsters have to go to the extent of publishing doctored opinion polls in an effort to jolt them out of their open-zips-induced-slumber and being distracted by wealth accumulation.
Whichever way one looks at it, this time around it is the MDC-T that will have to perform a Houdini to come out of this election un-mauled.
Someone once said that “there are none so blind as those who will not see, the most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know.” Quite simply, Morgan Tsvangirai is unfit to rule Zimbabwe.
Tobaiwa Tigere can be contacted on e-mail: tobaiwa_tigere@hotmail.com
Labels: 2013 ELECTIONS (ZW), MDC, WIKILEAKS, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
COMMENT - In 2002, Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC asked for foreign intervention in the country of Zimbabwe.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 002295
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR FRAZER
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR CNEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPDC PREL ZI
SUBJECT: LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM MDC LEADER TSVANGIRAI
¶1. On October 16, Embassy was asked to convey a letter from Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai to President Bush and other current and former USG officials seeking a more active UN role in addressing Zimbabwe's crises. We have pouched the letters to AF/S and convey the text of the Tsvangirai-Bush letter in paragraph 2 below. The other letters contain identical text and were delivered in sealed envelopes addressed to former President Clinton; former President Carter; UN Ambassador Negroponte; Representatives Ed Royce and Donald Payne; Senators Daschle and Lott; Reverend Jesse Jackson; and Chester Crocker.
¶2. Begin text of Tsvangirai-Bush letter:
Mr. George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
Washington DC
October 14, 2002
Dear Mr. President,
Re: Call for UN Security Council action on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.
On behalf of the majority of the people of Zimbabwe, I write to you Sir, and the other Five Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council.
Since February 2000, several efforts by the United States of America, the European Union, the Commonwealth, SADC, the World Council of Churches and several local and international civic organizations appealed to Robert Mugabe to uphold the rule of law, respect human rights and put a stop to political murders, rape, torture and state-sponsored terror and violence, but the illegitimate Mugabe regime has not relented. Instead, it has demonstrated utter contempt of international opinion and has reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out crimes against humanity as a means of subjugating the people of Zimbabwe and denying them the right to freely determine their own destiny.
There is growing evidence on the ground in Zimbabwe today
Sir, that the subjugated and brutalized majority are
preparing to react violently against this state of affairs.
The consequent bloody civil strife will not only result in
a massive loss of life but will inevitably spill into the
territory of the neighboring states of the region. The
international community must not allow Mugabe to continue
charting this path towards national destruction and
darkness.
It is in the context of this grim and extremely dangerous
situation that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),
which represents the legitimate aspirations of the people
of Zimbabwe, calls for the intervention of the UN Security
Council in the Zimbabwe crisis in accordance with Article
39 (Chapter VII powers) of the United Nations Charter.
Crimes that rival fascism and Nazism in scale and
wickedness are being committed daily, not by an occupying
force, but by a supposedly sovereign government of the
country.
We therefore call for the urgent institution of an
international program for Zimbabwe under the auspices of
the United Nations, designed to:
¶1. Investigate the gross human rights abuses and
crimes against humanity that are being perpetrated by
the Mugabe regime.
¶2. Investigate state-sponsored violence and the breakdown
of the rule of law.
¶3. Investigate the denial of food relief to suspected
political opponents and the consequent mass starvation.
¶4. Facilitate the realization of a free, unfettered and
fair expression of the popular will of the people of
Zimbabwe.
We ask and plead with you Sir, and your fellow permanent
members of the UN Security Council, to place these issues
on the agenda of the Security Council for serious
discussion and speedy resolution. In our humble view,
there remains no other viable alternative in the quest to
put a stop to the crimes against humanity that are being
perpetrated daily by the Mugabe regime.
The Mugabe regime has recreated the conditions of the
Rhodesian crisis in 1965, when the Ian Smith regime
effected a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) and
established an illegitimate government in order to maintain
a racial political order over the majority of the
population.
UDI sought to deny the majority of the people of the then
Rhodesia the right of self-determination. In 1966, in
reaction to that development, the UN Security Council (SC
Res.232 (1966) and subsequent resolutions), acted swiftly
to confront an ominous development that threatened regional
and international peace and security.
In reacting to UDI, the UN Security Council recognized the
legitimacy of the Zimbabwe people's struggle against racist
minority rule, which was undemocratic. Similarly, the
Security Council must legitimately consider Robert Mugabe's
forestalling of the installation of a legitimate elected
government through illegitimate force, and the consequent
violations of human rights, as clearly constituting a
threat to international peace and security.
Through his brutal suppression of the right of the
Zimbabwean people to freely elect a government of their
choice and through his regime's perpetration of crimes
against humanity, Robert Mugabe has crated an explosive and
dangerous situation akin to Ian Smith's UDI. A corrupt,
murderous and illegitimate regime maintains state sponsored
violence against a defenseless civilian population. This
situation is rapidly degenerating into mass killings,
refugee flows and mass starvation.
The prevailing internal situation therefore constitutes a
threat to regional and international peace and security.
SADC Heads of State and government came to the same
conclusion at their Luanda, Angola Summit when they denied
the Mugabe regime the opportunity to host the SADC 2003
Summit. We believe that the international community must
proceed rapidly to use this SADC position as a launching
pad for determined action to clamp down on the growing
spiral of violence and crimes against humanity perpetrated
by the Mugabe regime.
In his violent seizure of power, Robert Mugabe must not be
allowed to invoke the international legal term, "national
sovereignty" in a vain endeavor to reinforce his
illegitimate political position internationally. He is
susceptible to a megalomania that identifies his corporeal
self with symbols of nation and state. This provides the
context in which Robert Mugabe inflicts crimes against
humanity upon those Zimbabweans trapped within the
boundaries of the territory that he confuses with himself.
In Robert Mugabe's case, the term "national sovereignty"
must not be used to allow him to shield the suppression of
the real popular sovereignty from external rebuke and
sanction.
The sovereignty of the people of Zimbabwe must be
protected, but the object of the protection is not the
power base of a tyrant who rules directly by naked and
illegitimate force or through the apparatus of a
totalitarian political order. Instead, what must be
protected is the capacity of the people of Zimbabwe to
freely express and effect legitimate choices about the
identities and policies of those who govern them.
The time for the Security Council to act is now. Delay
will result in a costly catastrophe in terms of human
lives.
We therefore urgently appeal to you, Mr. President, as one
of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council,
to act with your characteristic determination to put a stop
to the violent abuse of human rights and the carnage that
is going on and assist in the process of laying a healing
hand on the country and its tortured people.
I avail myself, Mr. President, this opportunity to renew
the assurances of my highest consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Morgan Tsvangirai,
President, Movement for Democratic Change.
END TEXT.
¶3. Comment: Tsvangirai's urgent appeal to the United
Nations reflects the growing pressure the opposition party
is under from the GOZ, the MDC's inability to devise
effective, home-grown solutions to Zimbabwe's intensifying
cycle of crises, and a genuine concern that the situation
here will soon degenerate into civil conflict.
SULLIVAN
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, TREASON, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HEARS CRICKETS IN MEETING WITH FINANCE MINISTER
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Michael Koplovsky for reasons 1.4(d)
Summary
--------
¶1. (C) In a January 15 meeting with Minister of Finance Situmbeko Musokotwane, the Ambassador highlighted the progress Zambia made in 2009 towards a Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) compact (Ref. A), but stressed that the Zambian government (GRZ) must act now to assuage concerns about the GRZ's commitment to good governanceand anti-corruption efforts to ensure Zambia's continued compact qualification.
He noted that similar concerns contributed to a re-evaluation of Zambia's inclusion in the Global Financial Crisis Initiative (GFCI), during which Zambia was found to be ineligible for economic reasons. The Ambassador congratulated the Minister on the January 4 launch of the GRZ's integrated financial management and information system (IFMIS), and urged the Minister to continue improving the GRZ's public financial management capacity. Finally, the Ambassador asked that the GRZ help to develop a substantive, high-level policy agenda for the Cooperating Partners Group (CPG) -- the United States will chair the CPG for the next six months. While the governance concerns are not new to Musokotwane, he had little to say in response to any of the topics raised by the Ambassador, and raised no topics
himself. End Summary.
Ambassador's Message
--------------------
¶2. (C) In a January 15 meeting with Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning, the Ambassador highlighted the tremendous progress Zambia made in 2009 towards an MCA compact. He cautioned Musokotwane that during discussions that led to Zambia's compact eligibility re-selection, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) board expressed concerns about the GRZ's commitment to good governance, anti-corruption efforts and freedom of speech and expression, essential to Zambia's continued qualification for a compact. The Ambassador noted that the board's concerns were serious enough that MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes mentioned them specifically in his January 4 letter to President Banda.
¶3. (C) The Ambassador stressed that the GRZ had time to address the MCC's (and broader USG) concerns about its commitment to good governance and anti-corruption efforts, but said that the GRZ must not wait to take action. He listed several steps the GRZ could take, including strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission, creating a dialogue with Civil Society Organizations (CSO), including CSOs critical of the current administration, and continuing to work with media associations on self-regulatory structures to avoid restrictive government regulation of the media.
While conceding that the GRZ was unlikely to win all CSO hearts and minds, the Ambassador stressed that communication with CSOs would be a positive step, and engagement could mean reassurance that the GRZ was committed to transparent and
open governance to some local organizations that provide input into indicators used by the MCC.
¶4. (C) The Ambassador also noted that in 2009 Zambia was considered for up to USD 25 million in assistance under the Global Financial Crisis Initiative (GFCI). When similar concerns about governance and corruption caused the USG to re-evaluate Zambia's inclusion in GFCI, however, Zambia was deemed ineligible based on its relatively positive economic performance.
¶5. (C) Turning to budget transparency and public financial management, the Ambassador congratulated the Minister on the January 4 launch of IFMIS at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. While noting the good progress that Zambia
has made, the Ambassador urged the Minister to continue improving the GRZ's financial management capacity by rolling out IFMIS to all ministries and adopting a treasury single account, and to pass a Freedom of Information Act to increase
government transparency in general (Ref. B). The Ambassador explained the requirements for some countries to receive a waiver to allow continued U.S. assistance if their budget development and execution was not considered transparent, and noted that, while Zambia received a waiver for FY2009, it was not yet known whether a FY2010 waiver was required for continued assistance.
¶6. (C) Finally, the Ambassador asked the Minister what the GRZ would like to accomplish with the Coordinating Partners Group (CPG) during the six months that the United States would chair the group. The Ambassador noted that the CPG agenda had been dominated by governance issues, and more generally by issues determined by cooperating partners. To be an effective forum for dialogue, the CPG should be more
balanced to focus on high-level policy discussions and not just focused on trouble-shooting.
Minister's Limited Response
---------------------------
¶7. (C) If the GRZ is engaged in a charm offensive with the United States, Musokotwane did not get the memo (Ref. C). He was his usual taciturn self, and sat silently to, in his words, "hear his sins" throughout much of the meeting. The
Minister had little to say in response to the MCC board governance concerns, which were not new to him, and replied that it was "fair" that Zambia did not receive GFCI funding because its economy did bounce back quickly. Musokotwane asked for a list of the African countries that could potentially need budget transparency waivers to receive U.S. assistance, and asked that the Ambassador "drop him a note" about upcoming CPG agendas so that he could consult with his colleagues.
KOPLOVSKY
Labels: CORRUPTION, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2019
TAGS: PGOV KCOR ZA
SUBJECT: ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES "NEW" ANTI-CORRUPTION
CAMPAIGN
Classified By: Ambassador Donald E. Booth for reasons 1.4 (b,d)
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During its December 2-11 campaign to celebrate Zambia's ratification of the UN Convention Against Corruption, the Zambian government (GRZ) pledged to implement its National Anti-Corruption Policy; strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission; establish a Financial Intelligence Unit; introduce anti-corruption legislation; and improve public service delivery.
The campaign signaled a shift in the Banda administration's anti-corruption rhetoric
from defending itself against criticism over its recent handling of high-profile corruption cases and attacking critics to focusing on its anti-corruption bona fides (refs A-C). Although the GRZ's anti-corruption campaign strikes a positive tone, the government must back up its words with deeds, carry out its pledges and properly resolve ongoing corruption cases. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) During the Zambian government's (GRZ) December 2-11 "United in the Fight Against Corruption" campaign to celebrate Zambia's ratification of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the GRZ publicly pledged to combat corruption by implementing its National Anti-Corruption Policy (launched August 27), strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and establishing a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). On December 2, President Banda touted the new policy as proof that his administration is serious about fighting corruption. He also pledged to strengthen the ACC, the GRZ's lead anti-corruption agency, by establishing ACC Serious Fraud and Forensic Systems units, as well as create and fund an administrative FIU attached to the Bank of Zambia that would meet international standards. The UK's Department for International Development (DFID), which helped draft the GRZ's anti-corruption policy and has provided over USD 13.7 million in financial support to the ACC and TFC, announced December 10 that it will spend another USD 9.3 million to strengthen the ACC.
¶3. (U) Vice President Kunda affirmed during a December 9 International Anti-Corruption Day event co-hosted by the ACC and Transparency International Zambia that Parliament will consider new anti-corruption legislation, including an asset
recovery law, and review existing laws to incorporate language referencing international anti-corruption protocols ratified by Zambia. Banda stated on December 2 that the GRZ recognizes the need to strengthen laws on assets declaration, forfeiture of proceeds of crime, and whistle-blower protection. Banda also said that his government will encourage the use of integrity committees and the Public Service Code of Ethics in Cabinet ministries to improve public service delivery.
¶4. (SBU) The anti-corruption campaign signaled a shift in the Banda administration's rhetoric from defending itself against criticisms over its recent handling of high-profile corruption cases and attacking critics to focusing on its
anti-corruption bona fides. A December 8 op-ed published in a government-controlled newspaper underscored the administration's shift in strategy, noting that "President
Banda has continued the fight against corruption albeit in a different approach than his predecessor."
¶5. (C) COMMENT: Although GRZ's public anti-corruption campaign strikes a positive tone, the Banda administration must back up its words with deeds and carry out its pledges. The new campaign should also resolve pending corruption cases previously handled by the TFC. The administration's public re-commitment to fight corruption was clearly aimed at blunting criticism raised by the press, donor countries, and
Civil Society Organizations over what has been seen as backsliding by the GRZ in its commitment to fight corruption (refs A-C). Implementing the National Anti-Corruption
Policy, beefing up the ACC with donor (primarily DFID) support, and establishing an FIU will help better position the GRZ in its fight against corruption. However, the
administration has seemed more interested in neutralizing corruption cases rather than fighting corruption, and it remains to be seen whether the GRZ's renewed commitment will translate into meaningful results. END COMMENT. BOOTH
Labels: CORRUPTION, RUPIAH BANDA, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
COMMENT - What a strange 'dictatorship' and 'tyranny', where the MDC: " the national party was not enabling parliamentarians to demonstrate, e.g. by bringing home pork, that they were working for their constituents. " Constituents? In a dictatorship? Now you know why the MDC denied the existence of economic sanctions against Zimbabwe (ZDERA) high and low, while trying to blame the effects of ZDERA (hyperinflation) on 'mismanagement by Mugabe'. They lied, because they know how unpopular this strategy of getting into power by shock treatment, is with the constituents they have to face at every elections. They are lying to the voters about the cause of their misery. And that is
something the ANC never would have done. SUBJECT: XXXXXXXXXXXX’s observations on the political landscape and
U.S.-Zimbabwe relations
REF: HARARE 87; HARARE 36
CLASSIFIED BY: Charles A. Ray, Ambassador, STATE, EXEC; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)
¶1. (SBU) Pol/econ chief met February 9 with XXXXXXXXXXXX offered his observations on various topics including the state of ZANU-PF, indigenization, and elections.
¶2. (C) ZANU-PF. XXXXXXXXXXXX described the party as badly fractured. It was like a stick of TNT, susceptible to ignition and disintegration. ZANU-PF was holding together because of the threat of MDC-T and foreign pressure. He likened ZANU-PF to a troop of baboons incessantly fighting among themselves, but coming together to face an external threat. New leadership was essential and would emerge as some of the old timers, including Robert Mugabe, left the scene. XXXXXXXXXXXX opined that Vice President Joice Mujuru or S.K. Moyo (former ambassador to South African and now party chair) were possibilities, although Mujuru’s fear of Mugabe was affecting her ability to lead.
¶3. (C) MDC-T. According to XXXXXXXXXXXX, MDC-T is alienating supporters because of corruption. He pointed to the Harare suburb of Chitungwiza where MDC-T is investigating its councilors for being on the take. Residents of Chitungwiza blame the party. XXXXXXXXXXXX commented that part of the problem was that many MDC-T local councilors and parliamentarians elected in 2008 had no independent income. Unable to survive on their US$200/month salaries, they were now turning to graft. He also noted that the national party was not enabling parliamentarians to demonstrate, e.g. by bringing home pork, that they were working for their constituents.
¶4. (C) Elections. XXXXXXXXXXXX believed elections would take place in 2012 or 2013. Parliamentarians from all parties, particularly those who had no income before coming into office, had no interest in running again before necessary. They would try to stall the constitutional process.
¶5. (C) Global Political Agreement (GPA). XXXXXXXXXXXX thought there would be slow progress. In his opinion, the most important achievement of the GPA was the sidelining of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono.
¶6. (C) Indigenization. Taking an opposite view to Minister of Youth and Indigenization Saviour Kasukuwere (Ref A), XXXXXXXXXXXX said the government’s indigenization program benefitted nobody accept those who were already wealthy. It did nothing for his constituents, who couldn’t afford to buy into companies and were living hand-to-mouth.
¶7. (C) Economic Recovery. XXXXXXXXXXXX said a primary focus should be communal lands where 80 percent of Zimbabweans live. Before the economy collapsed, he said the communal areas produced 80 percent of farm output consumed in the country. (NOTE: These numbers are indicative but not accurate. More than 30 percent of Zimbabweans live in urban areas, so somewhat less than 80 percent live on communal lands. But communal lands have long been the main source of Zimbabwe’s domestic food supply. END NOTE.) Production dramatically decreased with the collapse of the economy as small farmers were no longer able to access inputs. Another factor was the Grain Marketing Board’s requirement that crops be sold to it. It then failed to pay farmers. XXXXXXXXXXXX stated that international assistance would be necessary to resuscitate the economy. But lesser steps were important. He volunteered that the Ambassador’s Self Help Program had once been present in communal areas. It was a powerful indication of U.S. interest in helping Zimbabweans, and was of tremendous assistance to those who benefitted from projects.
¶8. (C) Sanctions and ZDERA. XXXXXXXXXXXX said sanctions on individuals should remain if justified by the behavior of these individuals. Sanctions on parastatals that were contributing or could contribute to the economy should be lifted. With regard to ZDERA, XXXXXXXXXXXX acknowledged that the IMF and World Bank had ceased activities in Zimbabwe before ZDERA was enacted. The economy was already on a downhill trajectory because of misguided economic policies and the disastrous land reform policy.
[Specifically, because of the always disastrous austerity measures demanded by the World Bank, and enacted by ZANU-PF from 1991-1996. Read Antonia Juhasz' article:
The Tragic Tale of the IMF in Zimbabwe
by Antonia Juhasz, The Daily Mirror of Zimbabwe
March 7th, 2004
Austerity was why the ZANU-PF was becoming more unpopular, as happens everywhere on the planet where it is applied. According to Munyaradzi Gwisai, it was the unilaterally imposed austerity that caused the creation of the MDC in the first place (according to Munyaradzi Gwisai, who I respect a lot: "that same government had also now adopted economic programmes that had bought massive poverty, suffering on ordinary people, I'm talking about ESAP." It is beyond ironic, that they have now become the party that wants to impose it as a matter of perpetual policy. - MrK]
But the passage of ZDERA was like slashing an already deflating tire. Many Zimbabweans viewed ZDERA as an attempt to hurt them when they were already suffering. As such, said XXXXXXXXXXXX, ZDERA has a large symbolic value and should be repealed.
¶9. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX
-------------
COMMENT
-------------
¶10. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX’s comments on ZANU-PF are representative of a large part of the party. There is little doubt that if a secret party election were held, Mugabe and his inner circle would lose their positions. But Mugabe, aided by the securocrats and through fear, still has control. On sanctions and ZDERA, most ZANU-PF members, even moderates, tell us they believe sanctions, especially on parastatals, and ZDERA have hurt the economy (though they cannot cite evidence for this claim).
[It is hard to tell if the Ambassador is lying or innumerate. However, there is ample evidence of the impact of the Jan.1 2002 credit freeze on my blog. It also makes common sense, because economic sanctions have been imposed on many countries around the world, including Iraq, where it led to the deaths of an estimated 500,000 children, from lack of access to food and medicine. Until Jan. 1 2002 when ZDERA came into force, Zimbabwe had a growing trade surplus, 2002 is the first year to show a trade deficit. If you look at the Zimbabwe Dollar/US Dollar chart, you see the massive accelleration inflation into hyperinflation, in 2002 and beyond. Freezing the state's lines of credit leads to a fall in trade (which mainly occurs on credit). And that can be seen in the drastic fall of tobacco exports from 2002 onwards. Remember that Fast Track land reform, on which this is usually and conveniently blamed, started in 2000, not in 2002. - MrK]
XXXXXXXXXXXX’s view is more nuanced than most. XXXXXXXXXXXX’s view on ZDERA is what many in the MDC-T have been telling us: It is serving no real purpose other than to provide a convenient whipping boy for ZANU-PF. END COMMENT RAY
Labels: SANCTIONS, WIKILEAKS CABLES, ZDERA
Read more...
Viewing cable 10HARARE83, Conversations with MDC-T Minister-in-Waiting Roy Bennett
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10HARARE83 2010-02-04 14:45 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Harare
VZCZCXRO6225
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0083/01 0351445
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 041445Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0009
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0001
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0001
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0001
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0001
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000083
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR BRIAN WALSH
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR MICHELLE GAVIN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/04
TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: Conversations with MDC-T Minister-in-Waiting Roy Bennett
CLASSIFIED BY: Charles A. Ray, Ambassador, STATE, EXEC; REASON:
1.4(B), (D)
-------
SUMMARY
-------
¶1. (C) MDC-T Finance Chairman Roy Bennett told the Ambassador
that while the MDC is good at campaigning, it lacks a cadre of
people who know how to run a government. While much of U.S. and
other Western support has focused on the party, there is a
compelling need for institution building. Apart from the MDC,
Bennett acknowledged that ZANU-PF will be involved in a future
Zimbabwe; the challenge is to identify those in ZANU-PF who can
play constructive roles, and to find ways to bolster them against
extremists.
¶2. (C) In a separate conversation with polecon chief, Bennett
focused on MDC-T strategy. MDC-T has concluded that the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) is deadlocked. The MDC-T Standing
Committee has resolved to make a last effort to negotiate with
ZANU-PF, and then appeal to SADC. But it expects little assistance
in that forum and will focus on elections which it would like to
see occur next year. Bennett also discussed perceptions of MDC-T
corruption. END SUMMARY.
¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador discussed MDC-T with Bennett at a dinner
hosted by the British ambassador for visiting UK parliamentarians
on February 1. Attending the dinner, in addition to the usual cast
of Western diplomats, were representatives of the coalition
government, including the deputy foreign minister, and Bennett, the
MDC-T Finance Chairman. Polecon chief met separately with Bennett
on February 2.
--------------------------------------------- ---
MDC WEAKNESS IS IN GOVERNING, NOT IN CAMPAIGNING
--------------------------------------------- ---
¶4. (C) Bennett talked with the Ambassador about MDC-T's inability
to 'deliver the goods' to the people, despite its strong ability to
campaign; he saw a need to refocus external assistance more toward
institution building and strengthening civil society. He said the
MDC-T under Morgan Tsvangirai's leadership had a tremendous amount
of popularity throughout the country, in part due to Tsvangirai's
sincerity and humility, and in part due to ZANU-PF arrogance and
lack of concern for the common citizen. The party was very good at
campaigning, but lacked a strong bench in terms of governing.
Campaigning was limited to a degree by a paucity of resources.
Bennett said, for instance, in one province, with several hundred
thousand voters, the party had only one vehicle to transport
campaign workers around. Hardly any of the MDC ministers had any
previous experience in administration, and the few with any
capability were overstretched.
----------------------------------
NEED FOR MORE THAN GOOD INTENTIONS
----------------------------------
¶5. (C) According to Bennett, Western aid (primarily EU and U.S.)
has had a strong focus on the MDC as a party. While this has been
appreciated, it has not done enough to build the party's capacity
to provide government services or manage the bureaucracy. He said
he understood the limitations on working with elements of the government because of sanctions and ZDERA, but without more
capacity building, democratic reform would be delayed even longer.
He also said there was a compelling need to do more to build civil
society. While there are a number of civil society organizations
in Zimbabwe, there is no mass civil consciousness that can act as a
counterweight to ZANU-PF depredations. (COMMENT: What also seems
to be lacking is a sense of interconnectedness among all the
various civil society groups. The culture of fear and violence
that has been created over the past several decades has so cowed
the general population that tens of thousands of people can be
intimidated by the murder or beating of a few hundred. END
COMMENT.) Bennett contrasted Zimbabwe with South Africa where,
although apartheid was as odious as the colonial exploitation was
here, there was at least the pretense of a black society that was
along side but separate from the whites. In Zimbabwe there was not
even the pretense - blacks had been seen as merely labor to be
exploited, and coloreds as caudal appendages that were tolerated as
long as they didn't make trouble. The result is that in South
Africa there is a strong and vibrant civil society that the West
concentrated on building during apartheid, and while there is
likely to be ethnic strife, the country will most likely survive
it.
¶6. (SBU) Bennett said that Mugabe and ZANU-PF did not actually
create this culture of a privileged few lording it over the masses
(this was done by British colonial masters and the Ian Smith
regime), but they have adopted it lock, stock, and barrel. If
there is ever to be sustainable progress in this country, he said,
in addition to building a strong, responsive governance capacity,
the people must be taught their civic rights and be empowered to
demand them.
¶7. (C) Western support for Mugabe and ZANU in the 1960s and
1980s, Bennett said, can be understood in the context of the Cold
War. The slaughter of Ndebeles in Matabeleland was viewed as an
internal incident less important than the chess game between the
USSR and the West, and the killing and dispossessing of ZAPU went
unremarked because ZAPU was supported by the USSR, the West's main
enemy at the time. In the same vein, revulsion at ZANU-PF for
events since the late 1990s, particularly the violence associated
with farm invasions and the election-related killings, is
understandable. This should not, however, blind the West to the
fact that ZANU-PF will not go away. There are in ZANU-PF, people
who want to see progress, but they have no power to influence
events. We need to do a better job of identifying them, and
finding ways, without compromising or endangering them, to empower
them with a view to a future multi-party country and a need to
recognize that wishing for a future Zimbabwe without ZANU-PF is
naC/ve and counterproductive.
--------------
MDC-T Strategy
--------------
¶8. (C) Bennett told polecon chief that MDC-T had been unfocused.
The Office of the Prime Minister was weak and the party had been
left largely unattended as party stalwarts such as Tendai Biti were
occupied with government. Two weeks ago, according to Bennett, the
MDC-T Standing Committee, consisting of the top 12 ranking
officials, held a series of strategy sessions to address these
issues.
¶9. (C) The party concluded that ZANU-PF would not allow it to
effectively participate in government; it therefore resolved to
focus its efforts on the party in order to build it and prepare for
elections. MDC-T, according to Bennett, believes there will be no
significant progress on the GPA and that there is a stalemate. It
has not yet been declared a deadlock because it wants the Media,
Electoral, and Human Rights Commissions established before it does
so - it is concerned that declaring a deadlock first would cause
Mugabe to backtrack on the commissions. MDC-T's plan after it does
declare a deadlock is to appeal to SADC. It believes SADC will be
unsuccessful in moving Mugabe. The next step will be to press for
elections.
¶10. (C) Bennett told us that the Standing Committee also discussed
the Marange diamond situation and resolved to take a firm stand.
He acknowledged that Murisi Zwizwai, the Deputy Minister of Mines,
is close to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and is possibly
corrupt. Turning to the issue of corruption, Bennett said there
were rumors about several MDC-T ministers, but the party could not
act on rumors. He admitted, however, that the perception of
corruption was harmful. He was aware of reports that Tsvangirai
was buying a US$1 million house in Harare. Bennett said he
investigated and discovered that two individuals associated with
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono had proposed buying
the house for Tsvangirai. Bennett said he urged Tsvangirai to turn
off the arrangement and Tsvangirai agreed. Tsvangirai had,
however, accepted two vehicles from these individuals.
¶11. (C) Bennett said the Standing Committee had resolved that
elections take place in 2011. He admitted that most MDC-T
parliamentarians were opposed to this, but said the party
leadership would prevail over the desires of parliamentarians or
the rank and file. We noted that a couple of weeks ago, Tsvangirai
had said the country was not ready for early elections, but had
apparently reversed course in Davos and supported 2011 elections.
Bennett said the party leadership had always supported 2011
elections; but despite party decisions, Tsvangirai had a tendency
to publicly take inconsistent positions.
-------
COMMENT
-------
¶12. (C) Bennett is an MDC "hardliner" who has been frustrated with
the MDC's progress in the coalition government and in party
building. While he was encouraged by the determination of the
Standing Committee to take a more assertive approach vis-C -vis
ZANU-PF, we have seen this scenario before. Hardliners in the
party convince Tsvangirai to be more assertive. He agrees, there
is a flurry of activity, and then MDC-T falls back into the same
dance with ZANU-PF. We'll see if this time is any different. END
COMMENT.
RAY
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ROY BENNETT, SANCTIONS, WIKILEAKS CABLES, ZDERA
Read more...
(WIKILEAKS CABLES) MDC VIOLENCE
Wikileaks Cable reveals MDC's use of political violence against the state. It is interesting that these attacks are specifically economic and anti-state in nature. The attacking of ZANU-PF owned SHOPS and the attacking of police stations does not bode well for the MDC's democratic credentials. Who are these " most of the more senior people involved in the planning had police or military backgrounds "? Who in the senior level of the MDC has police and military backgrounds? Does he mean the Rhodesians? :)
Unconfirmed (no URL):
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000516 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER LONDON FOR C. GURNEY PARIS FOR C. NEARY NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2013 TAGS: PGOV PINR ASEC ZISUBJECT: BOMB ATTACKS PLANNED: LOW-LEVEL MDC INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d
Summary:
--------
¶1. (S) Charles Mutama, Harare regional coordinator for intelligence for the MDC, reported to Poloff that the Security, Intelligence, and Youth branches of the MDC are planning bomb attacks on police stations, militia bases, and ZANU-PF-owned shops and gas stations in five cities around the country in the coming weeks. While Mutama has in the past been a reliable source, we have no independent confirmation that the MDC leadership authorizes the plan, and no information on the capability of anyone in the MDC to execute such attacks. End Summary.
¶2. (S) Charles Mutama, who identifies himself as Harare regional coordinator for intelligence for the MDC, reported to Poloff today that the Security, Intelligence, and Youth branches of the MDC are planning dynamite and petrol bomb attacks on police stations, militia bases, and ZANU-PF-owned shops and gas stations in five cities around the country in the coming weeks. Long-time Contact
-----------------
¶3. (S) Mutama, who has been known to the Political Section for some time, was recruited into the MDC from the student movement in 2000, along with MP Job Sikhala. He said he received training in Uganda around that time, but did not describe the training. He was tortured along with Job Sikhala on January 14--the resulting burns and scars are still visible. Mutama said he reports to the number two in MDC Intelligence, who in turn reports to MDC Intelligence Head Solomon Chikowero. He said Chikowero was briefing MDC Deputy Secretary General Gift Chimanikire on the planned attacks. Call to Action Misinterpreted as Call to Attack ?
-------------------------------------------------
¶4. (S) We have heard from a variety of MDC sources that there are plans to organize mass action for as early as March 13, but more likely about two weeks later due to incomplete planning. Mutama said that the Intelligence, Security, and Youth branches are interpreting the call to mass action as a call for confrontational activities such as attacking the types of targets listed above. His particular role was to identify targets in Harare. He said that plans for the Harare activities were incomplete, but in good shape, however he was not sure of the status of plans for attacks in Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru and Masvingo. Targets Identified but Plans Incomplete
---------------------------------------
¶5. (S) He said he had identified 41 police stations, several businesses from a list of ZANU-PF-owned businesses supplied by the MDC Information Department, including several gas stations in Harare owned by ZANU-PF officials. He mentioned that the planning for attacks on most police stations in the Harare area were in good shape except for several police stations in the low-density suburbs, as MDC youths were not well represented in those areas. He mentioned specifically that a gas station in Harare suburb of Highfield owned by ZANU-PF former Harare mayor Solomon Tawengwa, and a slew of Exor gas stations in the Harare area owned by ZANU-PF MP Savior Kasukuwere, were on the list, as well as other ZANU-PF owned shops. He also mentioned that employees of the Tel-One central telephone switch house on Samora Machel Ave. and 2nd Street in downtown Harare had identified phone circuits associated with police stations and senior ZANU-PF officials, and would disable those circuits at a critical moment. He said that most of the more senior people involved in the planning had police or military backgrounds, but that the actual attacks would be carried out by MDC youths.
¶6. (S) He commented that while plans were well underway, preparations were nevertheless incomplete, or at least he was unaware of all the details. He said he thought the MDC leadership planning the attacks had not thought through the whole scenario very well; for example, he anticipated there would be reprisals by GOZ authorities, but no one had suggested a plan for dealing with those. He said the goal of the activities was to pressure the GOZ to hold fresh elections, to re-open negotiations with the MDC leadership, and to galvanize the public behind the MDC. He said he thought the MDC leadership was motivated to plan such activities by recent press reports criticizing Morgan Tsvangirai for taking an ineffective armchair approach in SIPDIS comparison to the more confrontational approach of National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) Director Lovemore Madhuku, Harare MDC Mayor Elias Mudzuri, and maverick MDC MP Job Sikhala. USG Would Not Condone Violence
------------------------------
¶7. (S) Poloff responded that the Embassy and USG would not support any violent activities, that such activities would not motivate the GOZ to re-open negotiations with the MDC and instead would most likely justify a violent crackdown against the party. Poloff said the Embassy would support peaceful mass action involving as many Zimbabweans as possible, and that this represents the democratic process. Violent actions by a few individuals does not represent democracy, would jeopardize all that the MDC stood for, and was a bad idea. Mutama responded that while he was involved in the planning, he didn't think he could head off the initiative, which he suggested had wide appeal.
¶8. (S) Mutama is a longtime Embassy contact who called on Poloff to ask his advice on whether he should accept an invitation to go to South Africa for torture counseling at this critical moment. Poloff's questions about why the moment was critical lead to Mutama revealing the above.
Comment: --------
¶9. (S) Mutama is a fairly low-level MDC official, but nevertheless levelheaded and soft-spoken, almost bookish. He is not one of the ones who would actually carry out the attacks, but his sincerity suggests he is describing a planning process that is actually under discussion. We are aware that he may be testing the waters for this plan on behalf of either the CIO (in the wake of his torture) or the MDC, and will make discreet inquiries as to his legitimacy. It is very likely that some members of the MDC are frustrated and angry and would like to bomb ZANU-PF facilities, but we have no independent confirmation that the MDC leadership authorizes the plan. We also doubt that the MDC is actually capable of executing such attacks, especially on the scale that Mutama described. Similar past warnings by anti-Mugabe individuals that violent anti-government actions were imminent have not panned out. We are dubious that this one will either, but will continue to follow this threat as closely as discretion permits and will urge the MDC at multiple levels not to engage in violent acts.
Labels: MDC, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, WIKILEAKS, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
COMMENT - Morgan Tsvangirai's words are the words of a traitor. At no point does h eturn to the Zimbabwean people, he is always looking for foreign intervention, so he and his goldmine owning brother Casper can steal the resources that belong to the people of Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai’s letters of shame . . . to Bush, Obama
Saturday, 27 August 2011 22:09
His Excellency Barack Obama,
President of the United States of America,
21 December 2009,
Your Excellency,
AS we approach the end of 2009, a period that has turned out to be a watershed for Zimbabwe, I write to convey my appreciation for the support we have received from you personally, the government and people of your great nation.
Kindly pass on my warm thanks also to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I was very pleased, Mr President, to note the support offered by your country and the various international non-governmental organisa-tions (NGOs) that expanded beyond the life-saving interventions which were so important.
This assistance has brought direct benefits to millions of our people and has demonstrated to the hard-pressed population that the reformists in Government are capable of delivering results.
Your support for my office has also been invaluable and I look forward to this continuing. As you are no doubt aware, Your Excellency, we are at a crucial stage in our efforts to ensure the full implementation of the GPA.
Meanwhile, our political situation remains characterised by intransigence to frustrate the process of bringing about real change.
The role played by Sadc, in general, and the mediator President Jacob Zuma, in particular, is greatly appreciated.
I know that you have personally played a crucial role in helping this to happen, and I encourage you to continue your crucial dialogue with President Zuma.
We have had discussions with Ambassador Charles Ray on restrictive measures. I well understand that movement on the part of the international community will need to be in response to tangible progress on GPA implementation. We should, however, ensure that movement when it comes is seen to be acknowledged in a tangible way, striking a careful balance between retaining leverage and rewarding progress. This will involve difficult judgments but it will be important to sustain momentum when it comes.
In light of the current negotiations of the three political parties I have now taken personal interest in the normalisation of relations between my Government and your government and my office will be following up on this very critical issue in the coming year.
We have, with your help, made real progress in 2009. Zimbabwe has been brought back from the brink. The economy has been stabilised. Essential health, education and other services have been restored.
A long and difficult road clearly lies ahead but with the continued support of key partners like the US, and also the active engagement of Sadc and South Africa, I have every hope of building on this start.
May I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.
Please accept, Mr President, assurances of my esteem consideration. Looking forward to continue working with you,
Morgan Tsvangirai
[US president Barack Obama]
US president Barack Obama
This letter was received by hand delivery via US Defence Attache Lt-Col. Patrick Anderson at the US Embassy Harare on Tuesday, December 29, 2009.
Original will be forwarded to AF/S Desk Officer Brian Walch via diplomatic pouch, registration number 7262800.
http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/12/09 HARARE1007.html
ON OCTOBER 16, 2002 Embassy was asked to convey a letter from Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai to President Bush and other current and former SIPDIS USG officials seeking a more active UN role in addressing Zimbabwe’s crises. We have pouched the letters to AF/S and convey the text of the Tsvangirai-Bush letter in paragraph 2 below.
The other letters contain identical text and were delivered in sealed envelopes addressed to former president Clinton; former president Carter; UN Ambassador Negroponte; Representatives Ed Royce and Donald Payne; Senators Daschle and Lott; Reverend Jesse Jackson; and Chester Crocker.
Mr George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
Washington DC
October 14, 2002
Dear Mr President,
Re: Call for UN Security Council Action on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.
On behalf of the majority of the people of Zimbabwe, I write to you Sir, and the other five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Since February 2000, several efforts by the United States of America, the European Union, the Commonwealth, Sadc, the World Council of Churches and several local and international civic organisations appealed to Robert Mugabe to uphold the rule of law, respect human rights and put a stop to political murders, rape, torture and State-sponsored terror and violence, but the illegitimate Mugabe regime has not relented.
Instead, it has demonstrated utter contempt of international opinion and has reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out crimes against humanity as a means of subjugating the people of Zimbabwe and denying them the right to freely determine their own destiny.
There is growing evidence on the ground in Zimbabwe today Sir, that the subjugated and brutalised majority are preparing to react violently against this state of affairs. The consequent bloody civil strife will not only result in a massive loss of life but will inevitably spill into the territory of the neighbouring states of the region.
The international community must not allow Mugabe to continue charting this path towards national destruction and darkness. It is in the context of this grim and extremely dangerous situation that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which represents the legitimate aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe, calls for the intervention of the UN Security Council in the Zimbabwe crisis in accordance with Article 39 (Chapter VII Powers) of the United Nations Charter.
Crimes that rival fascism and Nazism in scale and wickedness are being committed daily, not by an occupying force, but by a supposedly sovereign government of the country.
We therefore call for the urgent institution of an international programme for Zimbabwe under the auspices of the United Nations, designed to:
1. Investigate the gross human rights abuses and crimes against humanity that are being perpetrated by the Mugabe regime.
2. Investigate State-sponsored violence and the breakdown of the rule of law.
3. Investigate the denial of food relief to suspected political opponents and the consequent mass starvation.
4. Facilitate the realisation of a free, unfettered and fair expression of the popular will of the people of Zimbabwe.
We ask and plead with you Sir, and your fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council, to place these issues on the agenda of the Security Council for serious discussion and speedy resolution.
In our humble view, there remains no other viable alternative in the quest to put a stop to the crimes against humanity that are being perpetrated daily by the Mugabe regime.
The Mugabe regime has recreated the conditions of the Rhodesian crisis in 1965, when the Ian Smith regime effected a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) and established an illegitimate government in order to maintain a racial political order over the majority of the population.
UDI sought to deny the majority of the people of the then Rhodesia the right of self-determination.
In 1966, in reaction to that development, the UN Security Council (SC Res.232 (1966) and subsequent resolutions), acted swiftly to confront an ominous development that threatened regional and international peace and security.
In reacting to UDI, the UN Security Council recognised the legitimacy of the Zimbabwe people’s struggle against racist minority rule, which was undemocratic. Similarly, the Security Council must legitimately consider Robert Mugabe’s forestalling of the installation of a legitimate elected government through illegitimate force, and the consequent violations of human rights, as clearly constituting a threat to international peace and security.
Through his brutal suppression of the right of the Zimbabwean people to freely elect a government of their choice and through his regime’s perpetration of crimes against humanity, Robert Mugabe has created an explosive and dangerous situation akin to Ian Smith’s UDI.
A corrupt, murderous and illegitimate regime maintains State-sponsored violence against a defenceless civilian population. This situation is rapidly degenerating into mass killings, refugee flows and mass starvation.
The prevailing internal situation therefore constitutes a threat to regional and international peace and security. Sadc Heads of State and Government came to the same conclusion at their Luanda, Angola, Summit when they denied the Mugabe regime the opportunity to host the Sadc 2003 summit.
We believe that the international community must proceed rapidly to use this Sadc position as a launching pad for determined action to clamp down on the growing spiral of violence and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Mugabe regime.
In his violent seizure of power, Robert Mugabe must not be allowed to invoke the international legal term, “national sovereignty” in a vain endeavour to reinforce his illegitimate political position internationally.
He is susceptible to a megalomania that identifies his corporeal self with symbols of nation and state. This provides the context in which Robert Mugabe inflicts crimes against humanity upon those Zimbabweans trapped within the boundaries of the territory that he confuses with himself.
In Robert Mugabe’s case, the term “national sovereignty” must not be used to allow him to shield the suppression of the real popular sovereignty from external rebuke and sanction.
The sovereignty of the people of Zimbabwe must be protected, but the object of the protection is not the power base of a tyrant who rules directly by naked and illegitimate force or through the apparatus of a totalitarian political order.
Instead, what must be protected is the capacity of the people of Zimbabwe to freely express and effect legitimate choices about the identities and policies of those who govern them. The time for the Security Council to act is now.
Delay will result in a costly catastrophe in terms of human lives. We therefore urgently appeal to you, Mr President, as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, to act with your characteristic determination to put a stop to the violent abuse of human rights and the carnage that is going on and assist in the process of laying a healing hand on the country and its tortured people.
I avail myself, Mr President, this opportunity to renew the assurances of my highest consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Morgan Tsvangirai,
President, Movement for Democratic Change.
Comment: Tsvangirai’s urgent appeal to the United Nations reflects the growing pressure the opposition party is under from the GOZ, the MDC’s inability to devise effective, home-grown solutions to Zimbabwe’s intensifying cycle of crises, and a genuine concern that the situation here will soon degenerate into civil conflict. SULLIVAN
Comments
+5 # Raga 2011-08-28 00:15
We may live in denial just because we expect him to deliver us one day but the truth is Tsvangirai is not his own man. He is just too much when it comes to consulting the Westerners. He does not believe in himself. He believes the future lies in America and britain because he was exposed to them more than he was to the actual world. God help us.
Labels: GW BUSH, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NEOCOLONIALISM, TREASON, WIKILEAKS, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL ZI
SUBJECT: TONGOGARA REFUGEE CAMP TRIP REPORT
--------
Summary
--------
¶1. Representatives from the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM) Mary Lange and Nancy Jackson, accompanied by EmbOff, visited Tongogara refugee camp on September 29. Despite harsh economic conditions in Zimbabwe, the nearly 2,700 refugees in Tongogara camp are receiving adequate shelter, food, and water, and have access to basic health care, social services, and education. Most of the refugees in the camp have been there for years, and while many could probably return home, or at least find their way to better opportunities in Zimbabwe's neighboring countries, they remain in Tongogara, holding out for resettlement. To bolster their claims for resettlement, refugees complain about food rations and camp living; these complaints appear largely unsubstantiated. While it is unlikely the majority of the population will be resettled, there may be some vulnerable individuals, particularly among the Somali community and among the young female heads of household, who could be good candidates for third country resettlement. End Summary.
----------------- Refugee Caseload -----------------
¶2. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 4,311 refugees and asylum seekers in Zimbabwe, of which 2,673 are living in the Tongogara camp located in southern Zimbabwe along the border with Mozambique. The remaining 1,638 refugees are living in urban areas, primarily in Harare. The Zimbabwean government has an encampment policy for refugees. Only those with valid reasons for remaining in urban centers, such as employment, education or medical treatment, are granted permission to live in urban centers. The majority of refugees are from the Great Lakes region. Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are the largest single group, totaling 2,792, followed by Rwandans (651) and Burundians (597). The remaining 271 refugees are from numerous other countries, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Angola, and Uganda.
¶3. Despite Zimbabwe's deteriorating economic situation, asylum seekers from the DRC and Somala continue to arrive at the Harare Waterfalls Trnsit Center. Many wind up leaving Zimbabwe for etter economic opportunities in South Africa. Whle the Tongogara camp population has remained relatvely stable over the past five years, Zimbabwe'surban refugee population has dramatically declind as hyper-inflation, rampant unemployment, government-induced displacement as a result of Operation Restore Order, and food and fuel shortages have made living and working in Zimbabwe increasingly difficult. (Prior to 2006, urban refugees totaled more than 8,000.) Aside from registration and issuance of an ID card, urban refugees receive no material support from UNHCR. Food rations and non-food items are distributed only to camp-based refugees.
--------------------------------
General PRM/Embassy Observations
--------------------------------
¶4. Tongogara camp was established in 1984 to house Mozambican refugees. At the time of the Mozambican repatriation operations in 1994, the camp was home to some 58,000 refugees. After more than 20 years of operation, the camp has more of a village character than a camp fell. There are permanent housing structures with electricity, schools, churches, a mosque, a police station, shops, a clinic, and at least two bars. The camp is fairly isolated, however, with the nearest major city (Mutare) about a two-hour drive away. The area is very dry, and heavily dependent on irrigation, which in turn is dependent upon increasingly scarce power and fuel supplies. Few prospects exist for refugee self-sufficiency in the area.
¶5. Refugees appear to be in good health. UNHCR has done an excellent job in supplying the camp in the face of the economic crisis in the country. Food rations meet or in some instances exceed minimum standards (more than 2,100 kilocalories/person/day), and the warehouse is full of both food and non-food items, many of which are nearly impossible to find in the rest of Zimbabwe. In fact, local Zimbabwean officials who accompanied us were amazed by the abundance of HARARE 00000952 002 OF 003 such staples as sugar and maize, none of which can be found now on the local market.
¶6. Supplies must be trucked in from South Africa, and this poses a significant drain on operating funds. UNHCR has creatively managed to obtain six months worth of food rations from the World Food Program (WFP) in 2007, despite the fact that WFP does not typically provide food for refugee camp populations of less than 5,000 people. Firewood is scarce in this dry area, and UNHCR should consider including in non-food distributions some alternative sources of fuel, such as energy bricks.
¶7. Refugees report receiving their full rations, but complain that rations are insufficient. However, when we asked our Zimbabwean driver about the amount of rations an average Zimbabwean family would consume in a month, it was clear that the refugee rations exceed this average. Since the refugees have better access to food than the local population, some refugees trade or sell their food to the local community for other commodities. Refugees also supplement their monthly food rations by maintaining household gardens and livestock. Some also run small scale trading businesses with the surrounding rural areas. Children seemed well fed and energetic, and all were clothed and shoed. All the children we spoke with were enrolled in school, and camp administrators report that some 500 children are attending primary school. Due to the high number of students, the primary school operates in shifts. Sixty-nine students attend secondary school at the camp, and UNHCR sponsors another 49 students at boarding schools.
¶8. The camp clinic is clean, well organized, and well stocked with drugs, supplies and equipment. It is staffed with two nurses, two nurse elders and one general helper, although refugees complained about the lack of regular access to a medical doctor (another shortage in Zimbabwe in general). The nurses treat from 60 to 120 patients per day, 30 percent of whom are Zimbabweans from the nearby town, Chipinge. Malaria, acute respiratory infection, and skin disease are the most common illnesses, followed by diarrhea, injuries, and sexually transmitted infections. There have been no reported cases of malnutrition in the camp.
¶9. Refugees have access to sufficient shelter, latrines, and potable water. Although part of the camp has electricity, some generators are awaiting repair and newer sections of the camp have no access to electricity. With the relocation of some urban refugees to the camp in the wake of the government's 2005 Operation Restore Order campaign (that destroyed high density housing areas in and around Harare and displaced hundreds of thousands of people), UNHCR has expanded Tongagara Camp's capacity. Twenty-five new huts have been added to the camp and new latrines have been constructed with FY06 Ambassadors Fund for Refugees support to World Vision. The primary school will also be expanded with FY07 Ambassadors' Fund support to the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA).
¶10. In consultation with refugee leaders, UNHCR has formed refugee committees to discuss gender-based violence (GBV), child protection, education, and HIV/AIDS. The GBV committee is working to promote the identification and reporting of cases, but work on combating GBV should be expanded. The HIV/AIDS committee is promoting voluntary counseling and training and working to combat the stigma of the disease. Surprisingly, the camp's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is extremely low (3 percent of those tested are positive). Those who do test positive are referred to Zimbabwean social services where they receive free anti-retroviral medication and counseling.
----------------- Durable Solutions -----------------
¶11. Most of the camp-based refugees have been living in Tongogara since the mid 1990's. Single males and young girls under 16 years of age make up the majority of the camp population. Most of this protracted caseload desires third country resettlement. Some resettlement is occurring: UNHCR Zimbabwe has resettled some 280 refugees in the past year, mostly DRC refugees to Australia, and anticipates similar figures for 2008. UNHCR's resettlement criteria include victims of torture and/or violence, women at risk, and refugees lacking another durable solution. In November, the US/Joint Voluntary Agency (JVA) in Nairobi will travel to HARARE 00000952 003 OF 003 Tongogara to pre-screen UNHCR resettlement referrals for the US refugee resettlement program. PRM indicated that they would recommend possibly increasing resettlement opportunities for Somalis (who clearly cannot return to their country of origin) as well as many of the refugee women in the camp who could be at risk given the predominately young (and very aggressive) male refugee population.
¶12. While resettlement may be an option for some of the refugees, repatriation is possible for many other groups including the Rwandans, Burundians, Angolans, and Congolese (with the exception of those from the Kivu Provinces). However, these groups have resisted repatriation, despite intensive information campaigns, "go and see" visits and tripartite agreements, choosing to remain in Tongogara with the expectation that they will eventually be resettled to Australia, the US, Canada or the Nordic countries. Greater efforts could be made, perhaps following the JVA visit, to explain resettlement procedures to refugees and ensure that their expectations are more in line with reality.
DHANANI
Labels: REFUGEES, WIKILEAKS CABLES, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
Zim sanctions illegal, says some EU members
By: Philip Murombedzi
Posted: Sunday, February 6, 2011 10:26 am
THREE confidential diplomatic cables released at the weekend by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks reveal serious divisions within the European Union over legality of sanctions against Zimbabwe. President Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have always maintained that sanctions against Zimbabwe lacked legal value as they were not backed by a United Nations resolution.
The secret dispatch reveals that Germany has always been questioning the legality of the measures, with the UK pushing for their imposition without the appropriate UN resolution.
Greece, Spain and Italy are also unsupportive of the measures as they view them as largely illegal.
One of the cables revealed that "there has been some opposition to additional sanctions amongst EU partners".
"Germany continues to question the legality of some of the instruments, and some of the Southern European states (like Greece, Spain, and Italy) have their 'usual existential problems with sanctions'."
Under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security Council can take enforcement measures to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such measures range from economic and/or other sanctions not involving the use of armed force to international military action.
Britain has been on a collision course over the sanctions with these four countries and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown found it very difficult to get his way over the sanctions issue.
Non-EU countries like Russia and China have also expressed their disdain for the measures saying the situation in Zimbabwe does not pose a threat to international peace and security.
Brown tried and failed, to get the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. This means that the measures imposed by the EU and US have remained illegal under international law.
Russia and China used their veto power within the UNSC to block any sanctions against Zimbabwe.
One of the cables reveals that Brown had his "nose bloodied" over the veto and turned to the EU to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.
UNDERESTIMATED EU OPINION
Another cable leaked on Friday last week also showed that the UK underestimated China's opinion on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Then British minister for Africa, Lord Malloch-Brown thought China would vote against Zimbabwe or at least abstain from a crucial vote on Zimbabwe.
Malloch-Brown was quoted saying: "China will likely do the right thing because it does not want another human rights fight on its hands before the Olympics."
"Russia, however, was more problematic. President Medevev agreed to the G-8 Summit statement that implied sanctions, but seemed to walk back from that in statements he made today," read the cable.
China and Russia later used their veto powers to block the resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The sanctions have, therefore, remained illegal.
EU countries questioned the legality of economic sanctions against Zimbabwe without going through the United Nations. From The Telegraph (UK):
http://213.251.145.96/cable/2008/07/08LONDON1853.html
VZCZCXRO7200
PP RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLO #1853 1971102
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 151102Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9193
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY 0167
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 3250
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1224
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001853
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC KDEM ZI ZU UK
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: UK LOOKS FOR WAY FORWARD, TURNS TO EU
FOR SANCTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4(b/d).
¶1. (C/NF) The Foreign Office continues to treat the situation in Zimbabwe as a crisis. After the July 11 defeat of the U.S. draft UNSCR on Zimbabwe, FCO Zimbabwe Team Leader Ben Llewellyn-Jones said July 14 HMG will "give Zimbabwe a break in the Security Council for a little while," especially since Prime Minister Brown feels as though "his nose has been bloodied" by the Russians. Instead, he said, HMG will pursue EU sanctions. The UK is aiming for three measures: add an additional 36 or 37 individuals to the current asset freeze and travel ban; sanction approximately ten companies; and limit the exceptions that allow Mugabe and others in the regime to travel to the EU, as Mugabe did for the Lisbon Summit and the UN World Food Summit in Rome. The FCO has requested, to the extent possible, the USG provide names and details of companies already subject to U.S. sanctions. Embassy London requests the Department consider sharing company names and details with HMG to bolster the UK's argument for EU sanctions.
¶2. (C/NF) Llewellyn-Jones said there has been some opposition to additional sanctions amongst EU partners. Germany continues to question the legality of some of the instruments, and some of the Southern European states (like Greece, Spain, and Italy) have their "usual existential problems with sanctions." He said the U.S. could be helpful in two ways with specific groups of European countries. He thought a general demarche to the entire EU would be counterproductive. First, he suggested, the USG could approach UNSC member states in Europe to encourage them to weigh in the EU to push forward tougher EU measures. Second, he said, the USG could approach Eastern European states (like Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungry) to encourage them to support EU sanctions. Llewellyn-Jones said that Foreign Secretary Miliband thought that Russia's veto in the Security Council could be useful in engaging these states. Miliband's view was that these states could be encouraged to support EU sanctions "as advocates of democracy, unlike Russia." Miliband also specifically suggested that engaging Georgia to reinforce democracy would be fruitful. Llewellyn-Jones said HMG would approach Germany and the Southern European states separately.
¶3. (C/NF) Llewellyn-Jones also said Miliband had asked Her Majesty's Treasury to look into financial flows of funding to the regime to see what pressure, if any, could be applied that way. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX TUTTLE
SOMALIA/ZIMBABWE/SOUTH AFRICA: UK MINISTERS ON RESOURCES, SANCTIONS, AND RELATIONS
Passed to the Telegraph by WikiLeaks 9:03PM GMT 04 Feb 2011
Ref ID: 10LONDON132
Date: 1/21/2010 13:46
Origin: Embassy London
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Destination: 10LONDON89
Header: VZCZCXRO4108PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRODE RUEHLO #0132/01 0211346ZNY CCCCC ZZHP 211346Z JAN 10FM AMEMBASSY LONDONTO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4704INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITYRUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY 0185RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 0765RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 3569RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITYRHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITYRUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITYRUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITYRUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA PRIORITYRUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1533
Tags: PREL,ETTC,PGOV,SO,ZI,SF,ZU,XW,UK
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 000132 SIPDIS NOFORN DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/E, AND AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2020 TAGS: PREL, ETTC, PGOV, SO, ZI, SF, ZU, XW, UK
SUBJECT: SOMALIA/ZIMBABWE/SOUTH AFRICA: UK MINISTERS ON RESOURCES, SANCTIONS, AND RELATIONS
REF: LONDON 89 Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville, reasons 1.4 (b/d).
1.(C/NF) Summary. UK ministers agreed new resources for the implementation of its Somalia policy at a January 18 meeting of the cabinet sub-committee on Africa. They also decided to support, within the EU, a minimal lifting of sanctions on Zimbabwe by delisting the eight parastatals requested by Finance Minister Tendai Biti as well as a few individuals
-- a position initial agreed with EU partners in Brussels on January 21. Ministers also agreed that the UK's priorities for South Africa are to see it play a more effective role in Africa and to have South Africa's international agenda more aligned with the UK's. End summary.
Somalia: More Resources Approved --------------------------------
2.(C/NF) At a January 18 meeting of the sub-cabinet committee on Africa, UK ministers agreed reftel proposal to put more resources to its Somalia policy, Cabinet Office Senior Africa Advisor Paul Godrey and Africa Advisor Gareth Hughes told Poloff January 21. Godfrey said the UK's new total annual bilateral support to Somalia will be almost GBP 35 million (USD 56 million): GBP 23 million (USD 36.8 million) split evenly between humanitarian and development assistance; GBP 1.5 million (USD 2.4 million) for counter-terrorism; GBP 1.2 million (USD 1.92) in UK Navy operations; and GBP 9 million (USD 14.4 million) in conflict prevention funding. Ministers also agreed that if the international community puts additional resources to development assistance and agrees a comprehensive approach to Somalia, the UK would be willing to increase its development funding. Ministers also want to see that funding is spent in such a way that it has a tangible impact on the ground. Following the sub-cabinet committee meeting, the UK plans to raise Somalia and its development support from partners with various members of the international community, including the USG. Additionally, the UK plans to lobby hard within the EU to make Somalia a priority. Godfrey said the UK is already getting some traction on its EU lobbying efforts with EU High Representative Cathy Ashton.
3.(C/NF) Godfrey confirmed that the UK will open a "shadow embassy" for Somalia in Nairobi, hopefully during the summer of 2010.
Zimbabwe: Minimal Lifting of EU Sanctions -----------------------------------------
4.(C/NF) Godfrey said after "tortuous" discussions of the EU's sanctions on Zimbabwe, UK ministers agreed to support within the EU the de-listing of (1) the eight parastatals requested by Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Tendai Biti, (2) any persons on the list who has died, (3) a Lebanese national (NFI), and (4) former ZANU-PF supporter Dr. Dumiso Dabengwa. Godfrey said the EU already agreed initial consensus on this position at a meeting in Brussels on January 20. Godfrey said the sanctions are scheduled to be renewed for 12 months on February 20. Godfrey explained that UK ministers agreed that there had been some economic progress, but that there had been no real political concessions by ZANU-PF. ZANU-PF still controls the main levers of power, and any progress to date is still reversible.
South Africa: Needs to Be More Effective in AF, Better International Partner ---------------------------------------------
--
5.(C/NF) Godfrey said that in a brief discussion of the UK's relations with South Africa in the run-up to President Zuma's March state visit to the UK and the 2010 World Cup, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that the UK's priorities with South Africa are having it play a more effective role in Africa and making South Africa more aligned with the UK's international agenda. Godfrey said the latter objective became clear to Miliband after South Africa's difficult rotation on the UNSC and its "awkward squad" role at LONDON 00000132 002 OF 002 Copenhagen. Miliband said there is the sense that South Africa is a "moral arbiter" for the G-77 and African countries, and it is important to bring them on the UK's side. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX ed_Kingdom SUSMAN
http://213.251.145.96/cable/2008/07/08LONDON1823.html
VZCZCXYZ0011
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHLO #1823 1911604
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 091604Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9159
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE IMMEDIATE 0166
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1219
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001823
SIPDIS
DEPART FOR IO/JEAN CLARK
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC ZI UK
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: UK OPTIMISTIC ON UNSC RESOLUTION
REF: SECSTATE 73173
Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4 (b/d).
¶1. (C) Per reftel, the Charge spoke on July 9 with FCO Minister for Africa Lord Malloch-Brown, who was optimistic there would be sufficient votes to pass the current UNSC draft resolution on Zimbabwe. Malloch-Brown suggested progress had been made with Moscow and Beijing in New York and at the G-8 Summit in Japan. In his view, China will likely do the right thing because it does not want another human rights fight on its hands before the Olympics. Russia, however, was more problematic. President Medevev agreed to the G-8 Summit statement that implied sanctions, but seemed to walk back from that in statements he made today. FCO Zimbabwe Desk Ben Llewellyn-Jones told us that the PM,s Foreign Policy Advisor, Simon MacDonald, called his Russian counterpart to lobby in favor of the resolution, but did not receive any assurances. When directly asked, the Russians did not say if they would veto. Given the current frosty UK-Russia relations, Malloch-Brown said USG engagement with the Russians might be more effective. He also questioned if Moscow would really want to use its veto on this issue.
¶2. (C) Malloch-Brown said Ouagadougou is "on our side" from what the UK Embassy in Burkina Faso is reporting, but that the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister's visit will test the depth of that commitment. On Libya, Malloch-Brown said that UK Foreign Secretary Miliband had telephoned the Libyan Foreign Minister, who was ambiguous but promised to be as supportive as possible. Visit London's Classified Website:XXXXXXXXXXXX LeBaron
Labels: EU, GORDON BROWN, SANCTIONS, WIKILEAKS CABLES, ZDERA
Read more...
AU SUMMIT: A/S CARSON'S MEETING WITH BOTSWANA'S VICE PRESIDENT MOMPATI MERAFHE TRIPOLI 00000588 001.2 OF 002
Passed to the Telegraph by WikiLeaks 9:31PM GMT 31 Jan 2011
Ref ID: 09TRIPOLI588
Date: 7/21/2009 16:01
Origin: Embassy Tripoli
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Destination:
SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: A/S CARSON'S MEETING WITH BOTSWANA'S VICE PRESIDENT MOMPATI MERAFHE TRIPOLI 00000588 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Joan Polaschik, Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1.(C) Summary: Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson met with Botswana Vice President (VP) Mompati Merafhe on July 2, 2009 on the margins of the African Union (AU) Summit in Sirte, Libya. The discussion focused on the global financial crisis, recent accomplishments made by the Government of Botswana (GOB) in the agricultural sector, the new USG global food security initiative, and political leadership in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar. End Summary.
BOTSWANA STRUGGLES DURING GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS --------------------------------------------- ----
2.(C) VP Merafhe asked the Assistant Secretary for his opinion on the state of the global financial crisis and economy. Carson expressed his belief that the recession in the United States was close to bottoming out and could settle sometime between June-September next year. However, U.S. employment, housing, and auto industry figures all continue to indicate a slump.
3.(C) VP Merafhe noted that Botswana was "struggling" as a result of the global recession, citing high-end tourism and the diamond industry as particularly hard hit. As part of a larger effort to save jobs in the industry, Botswana has had to close one diamond mine due to decreased sales and lower prices. The GOB is also in the process of concluding establishment of a diamond trading consortium including DeBeers, Anglo America, and Namibia that would, once complete, consolidate 30% of global diamond trade in Botswana. The GOB will hold an 80% stake under the partnership.
4.(C) Merafhe also discussed the GOB's decision to run a budget deficit through which government spending would be used to stimulate the economy (Note: the African Development Bank [ADB] recently approved a loan of USD $1.5 billion in Botswana, marking the first such debt that Botswana had accrued in over 17 years. End Note.)
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR REFORM A HIGH PRIORITY ------------------------------------------
5.(C) VP Merafhe explained that the GOB has more than doubled sorghum production in the last year, increasing yields from 43,000 metric tons to 93,000 metric tons using a locally developed model that could be replicated in other countries. Ensuring the sustainability of agricultural sector investment and the accomplishments that have been achieved, is a high priority for the GOB, Merafhe continued.
6.(C) Carson noted that the USG was in the process of launching a new, global food security initiative in which Africa would be featured prominently. In particular, USG agricultural assistance funding will double to $1 billion during FY2010, with an approximate total of $3.5 billion provided by the USG within the next three years. Carson explained that host country partnership, innovation, and ownership of planned agricultural sector interventions are USG priorities in its approach to implementing the new initiative.
ENERGY PRODUCTION: SEEKING SELF-SUFFICIENCY -------------------------------------------
7.(C) Carson asked about the status of coal production and energy resources in Botswana. Merafhe noted that the GOB was working to harness Botswana's overall energy resources to achieve self-sufficiency, and that China will enter the market to help Botswana further exploit its coal production capabilities. There are no plans, at present, to develop wind or solar energy resources.
DOMESTIC POLITICS -----------------
8.(C) When asked about domestic politics, Merafhe said he was confident about the prospects for his party in upcoming national elections to be held in October, noting that under the GOB system the president is not directly elected but instead chosen by the political party with the highest number of seats in Parliament. Merafhe does not expect new opposition candidates TRIPOLI 00000588 002.2 OF 002 to enter the election campaign.
VP MERAFHE: SOUTH AFRICA'S ZUMA IS "INTERNALLY FOCUSED" --------------------------------------------- ---------
9.(C) Moving to regional issues, A/S Carson asked the Vice President for his impression on the recent election of Jacob Zuma in South Africa. Merafhe said it was too early to tell, but the initial indications suggested that Zuma appeared to be "internally focused." Merafhe also noted that he had no prior knowledge of, or contact with, the new South African Minister of Foreign Affairs but that she appeared to be solid
ZIMBABWE --------
10.(C) xxxxxxxxxxxx A/S Carson noted that POTUS saw Zimbabwe Prime Minister Tsvangirai during his recent travel to Washington, and said that helping the Prime Minister without aiding Mugabe will be a challenge. A/S Carson also said that the USG would remain engaged in Zimbabwe and continue to channel foreign assistance in support of the people of Zimbabwe through non-governmental organizations. USG support for humanitarian assistance, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and democracy and governance programs in Zimbabwe will all continue under the USG foreign assistance program. Agricultural sector inputs and education programming are also anticipated as new USG foreign assistance components. 11.(C) A/S Carson asked if SADC would increase pressure on Zimbabwe for Mugabe to exit. xxxxxxxxxxxx
MADAGASCAR: WAY FORWARD REMAINS UNCLEAR ---------------------------------------
12.(C) VP Merafhe said that Madagascar was also a "nasty situation." A/S Carson noted that the AU will repeat efforts to assemble the four political parties in Madagascar in an effort to proceed with presidential elections and restore constitutional governance. A/S Carson noted that Rajoelina is presently too young to secure the presidency under the Malagasy constitution and that the overall way forward in resolving the political impasse in Madagascar was still not clear. POLASCHIK
Labels: DIAMONDS, JOHNNIE CARSON, WIKILEAKS CABLES
Read more...
