ZIMBABWE ON KAMPALA TALKS, DROC PROCESSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002100 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S RICE, AF PDAS POWELL, AF DAS SCHNEIDMAN, AF/S DIRECTOR RENDER, AF/S DESK OFFICER GURNEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/14/10 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE ON KAMPALA TALKS, DROC PROCESSES REF: (A) STATE 65669 (B) STATE 68609 (C) STATE 70286 CLASSIFIED BY DCM IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 (B),(D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 02100 141117Z ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. OCM THANKED ZIMBABWEAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVE FOR HELPFUL ZIMBABWEAN ACTIONS IN KAMPALA. OURING THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION, THE MFA REPRESENTATIVE MADE HELPFUL NOISES ABOUT FACILITATING THE UPCOMING VISIT OF SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE WOLPE, BUT WAS OUT OF THE LOOP ON DETAILS OF THE TRIP AND ON THE PROPOSED MAPUTO MEETING OF CONCERNED HEADS OF STATE. HOWEVER, THE DETAILS OF S/E WOLPE'S VISIT TO HARARE ARE BEING WORKED OUT AND ARE WELL IN HAND. END SUMMARY. -------------- ZIMBABWE HOPES FOR PROGRESS -------------- ¶2. (C) DCM AND TDY POLOFF (NOTETAKER) CALLED ON AMBASSADOR GODFREY MWEDZI, GOZ'S DIRECTOR FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS, APRIL 13, TO CONVEY USG APPRECIATION FOR GOZ ROLE IN KAMPALA TALKS (REF B). MAXWELL CHIKOROWONDA, GOZ CONGO DESK OFFICER, SERVED AS NOTETAKER FOR THE ZIMBABWEANS. ¶3. (C) MWEDZI RECEIVED OUR THANKS WITH FEW COMMENTS, OBSERVING THAT IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS IN A DELICATE PROCESS. HE SAID THE GOZ APPRECIATES U.S. SUPPORT, WHICH HELPS BOOST CONFIDENCE IN THE PROCESSES HE EXPECTS WILL FOLLOW FROM CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS. MWEDZI EMPHASIZED THE JMC NEEDS TO BE CLOSELY FOCUSED UPON. HE ALSO RECEIVED WITHOUT COMMENT OUR UPDATE ON THE VISIT OF PRIME MINISTER BARAK (REF C). ¶4. (C) WHEN DCM INFORMED MWEDZI THAT SPECIAL REP WOLPE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 02100 141117Z WILL BE ARRIVING NEXT WEEK, MWEDZI SAID HE HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE VISIT THROUGH HIS CHANNELS, BUT EXPRESSED A GENERAL WELCOME FOR THE VISIT. HE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE VISIT COME AFTER THE APRIL 14, WHEN THE SITUATION IN DROC SHOULD BE CLEARER, AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION CAN BE SEEN. ¶5. (C) WHEN QUERIED BY DCM IF HE HAD ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE PROPOSED MEETING IN MAPUTO THAT UGANDAN PRESIDENT MUSEVENI MENTIONED TO A/S RICE (REF A), MWEDZI SAID HE HAD NOT HEARD OF CONCRETE PLANS FOR IT. HE SAID HE WILL LET US KNOW AS HE GETS INFORMATION. HE MENTIONED THAT HE HAD HEARD FROM THE GOZ WASHINGTON EMBASSY ABOUT INQUIRIES FROM A/S RICE. -------------- WANT TO SEE COOPERATION -------------- ¶6. (C) MWEDZI OBSERVED THAT WHAT IS NOTABLE ABOUT THE KAMPALA MEETING AND CURRENT DISENGAGEMENT PLANS IS THAT THE POSITIONS ON THE GROUND OF THE VARIOUS SIDES HAVE CHANGED CONSIDERABLY IN THE NINE MONTHS SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE LUSAKA ACCORD. HE REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES THAT JMC AND MONUC NEED TO COOPERATE, AND THAT, IN FACT, WHAT HE CALLED "POINTLESS SQUABBLING" CAN WEAKEN THE JMC SYSTEMS. HE ADDED THAT GOZ WANTS THE UN DEPLOYMENT TO GO FORTH AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND INTENDS TO KEEP THE PROCESS MOVING. ¶7. (C) MWEDZI CLOSED THE VISIT WITH AN INQUIRY ABOUT OUR READOUT OF THE DROC NATIONAL DIALOGUE AND THE VISIT OF CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 02100 141117Z NATIONAL DIALOGUE COORDINATOR MASIRE TO KINSHASA. MWEDZI AGREED WITH DCM THAT THE PROCESS APPEARS TO BE STUCK IN NEUTRAL, AND ADDED THAT HE THINKS THE PROBLEMS MASIRE EXPERIENCED DURING HIS VISIT HAVE GIVEN HIM A CLEAR VIEW OF THE STATE OF PLAY IN DROC. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) MWEDZI WAS PLEASANT, BUT AS ILL-INFORMED ABOUT HIS GOVERNMENT'S ACTIVITIES AND INTENTIONS AS ALWAYS. WE WILL FOLLOW UP TO ENSURE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SPECIAL REP. WOLPE'S VISIT ARE ON TRACK. ON A POSITIVE NOTE, WHILE MWEDZI IS NOT GOING TO REVEAL ANYTHING OF HIS OWN THINKING TO US, HIS ASSESSMENT THAT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DAYS AFTER APRIL 14 WILL BE TELLING AND HIS ASSERTION THAT THE GOZ IS EAGER TO PUSH THE PROCESS FORWARD PROBABLY REFLECT THINKING HERE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS. END COMMENT. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >