AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES STATE-SPONSORED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 003094 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF, AF/S ATTN: POWELL, RENDER, SCHNEIDMAN, GURNEY TREASURY FOR ED BARBER, GRACE SONE STATE PASS USTR/RWHITTAKER NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/10 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES STATE-SPONSORED VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION WITH A PROGRESSIVE MINISTER CLASSIFIED BY ECON/COMM OFFICER MARK PROKOP, REASONS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 03094 01 OF 02 081537Z 1.5 (B),(D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: IN A SERIES OF CALLS BEING MADE ON SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, ON JUNE 8 AMBASSADOR AND ECONOFF MET WITH SIMON K. MOYO, MINISTER OF MINES, ENVIRONMENT AND TOURISM, TO DISCUSS CONDITIONS IN ZIMBABWE RELATED TO THE ELECTIONS, AND OUR ABHORRENCE OF THE STATE-SPONSORED VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION THAT HAS OCCURRED TO DATE. MOYO, CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE A ZANU-PF PROGRESSIVE, WAS GLIB, DISPLAYED AN ADMIRABLE BOB-AND-WEAVE TECHNIQUE, AND PARROTED THE PARTY LINE. HIS EXPRESSED A PERSONAL DISDAIN OF VIOLENCE, LABELING IT GOOD FOR NO ONE, BUT CLAIMED THAT BOTH PARTIES WERE EQUALLY TO BLAME FOR ITS OCCURRENCE. HE ALSO CRITICIZED THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE (NDI) REPORT ON UNSATISFACTORY ELECTION CONDITIONS, POSTULATING THAT A NINE-DAY TRIP WITH VISITS TO ONLY THREE LOCATIONS WAS INSUFFICIENT TO ACCURATELY ASSESS TRUE CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) THE AMBASSADOR KICKED OFF THE MEETING BY ASKING IF A FRONT-PAGE HEADLINE IN THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER "THE DAILY NEWS", PROCLAIMING THAT "TOP ZANU-PF LEADERS CALL FOR END TO VIOLENCE" WAS CORRECT. DODGING THE DIRECT QUESTION, MINISTER MOYO LAMENTED THE EXISTENCE OF VIOLENCE AND ATTRIBUTED IT TO THE EXISTENCE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE INDEPENDENCE, OF AN ACTUAL, VIABLE, AND ORGANIZED OPPOSITION, FIELDING 120 CANDIDATES. "IT HAS RAISED THE TEMPERATURE", HE STATED, "ESPECIALLY SINCE BOTH CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 03094 01 OF 02 081537Z SIDES VIEW THEMSELVES AS THE WINNERS." BOTH PARTIES HAVE CAUSED THE VIOLENCE HE CONTINUED, AND THE LEADERS OF BOTH NEED TO CONTROL THEIR FOLLOWERS. WE ARE DOING THAT NOW, HE ADMITTED, TELLING US THAT THE JUNE 7 POLITBURO MEETING PARTICIPANTS DECIDED THAT THE RULING PARTY WOULD PUBLICLY BEGIN CALLING FOR AN END TO THE VIOLENCE. THE POLICE NEED TO DO THEIR JOB, HE ADDED, AND THAT SHOULD START NOW HE TOLD US, INFERRING THAT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT BY THE OFFICIAL DECISION-MAKING ORGAN. ¶3. (C) THE AMBASSADOR ACKNOWLEDGED THE MINISTER'S HIGH-MINDED SENTIMENTS, BUT POINTED OUT THAT THE RULING PARTY HAS BEEN THE CLEAR AND EXCESSIVE WRONG DOER TO DATE. AFTER AGAIN SINGING A PSALM OF THE MERITS OF PEACE, THE WAR VETERAN AND CABINET MEMBER REITERATED THE RULING PARTY'S WISE, NEW, PEACE-FOCUSED PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN, AND AGAIN BLAMED THE OPPOSITION FOR CAUSING VIOLENCE. HE PROUDLY CITED THE EXAMPLE OF THE AFTER-BUSINESS-HOURS POSTERING OF ZANU-PF HEADQUARTERS IN CHINHOYI WITH MDC (MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE) POSTERS BY UNKNOWN PERPETRATORS. "IMAGINE THE VIOLENCE THAT SUCH AN ACT WOULD HAVE CAUSED", HE PLEADED, "IF ANYONE HAD BEEN IN THE BUILDING." WHEN THE AMBASSADOR RAISED THE ALLEGATIONS OF TORTURE METED OUT WITHIN HITLER HUNZVI'S MEDICAL SURGERY, THE MINISTER COULD ONLY REPEAT A MANTRA OF "UNPALATABLE, UNPALATABLE...." ¶4. (C) WHEN THE AMBASSADOR RAISED THE BEATINGS AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 03094 01 OF 02 081537Z INTIMIDATION OF EDUCATORS (CITING RAPES, HOUSEBURNINGS AND NEAR-FATAL BEATINGS),THE MINISTER INFORMED US THAT TEACHERS WHO DIGRESS FROM THE CURRICULUM TO PREACH THE MERITS OF THE OPPOSITION MUST BE DISCIPLINED; THOUGH HE SUBSEQUENTLY ADMITTED THAT AN ADMINISTRATIVE MEANS EXISTED FOR THIS. WHEN ECONOFF POINTED OUT THAT FOR YEARS THE RULING PARTY HAS DIRECTED AND ENCOURAGED TEACHERS TO DIGRESS FROM THE CURRICULUM AND PREACH THE MERITS OF ZANU-PF; MOYO RESPONDED THAT THIS WAS ONLY THE INCULCATION OF "HISTORY", WHICH NONE COULD FIND FAULT WITH. "THE STORY OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE AND THE GLORIOUS ROLE OF ZANU-PF IN ITS SUCCESS" HE CROONED, "IS OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE AND CAN NEVER BE QUESTIONED OR DENIED US." "I AM A VETERAN AND IT IS OUR RIGHT", HE SUMMARILY DECLARED, AS HE HASTENED OFF TO A MEETING WITH A DELEGATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTION OBSERVERS. ¶5. COMMENT: WE CAME, SPOKE SERIOUSLY, AND MINISTER MOYO PERFORMED. FROM OUR OBSERVATION HE NEVER ONCE STEPPED OUT OF HIS ACCOMPLISHED PLAYACTING. PERHAPS HE HAS BEEN AT IT SO LONG THAT THE DISTINCTION CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2056 PAGE 01 HARARE 03094 02 OF 02 081537Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 ANHR-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 IRM-00 STR-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /007W -------------- 60A655 081537Z /38 P 081542Z JUN 00 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6249 INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY DEPTTREAS WASHDC C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 003094 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF, AF/S ATTN: POWELL, RENDER, SCHNEIDMAN, GURNEY TREASURY FOR ED BARBER, GRACE SONE STATE PASS USTR/RWHITTAKER NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/10 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES STATE-SPONSORED VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION WITH A PROGRESSIVE MINISTER BETWEEN SELF AND DRAMATIS PERSONA HAS BECOME BLURRED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 03094 02 OF 02 081537Z OR NONEXISTENT. HIS COMMENTS REVEAL THAT THE STATE MACHINE MARCHES ON IN LOCK STEP WITH THE RULING PARTY TOWARDS THE ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN TWO WEEKS, EXECUTING A BATTLE PLAN THAT MAY BE GROWING INCREASINGLY INCORRECT IN A SHIFTING ENVIRONMENT. WE EXPECT THAT THEY WILL PREACH PEACE BUT CONTINUE TO ORCHESTRATE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF VIOLENCE. END COMMENT. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >