NEXT STEPS ON NATIONAL DIALOGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 003489 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/10 TAGS: PGOV CG ZI SUBJECT: NEXT STEPS ON NATIONAL DIALOGUE REF: (A) STATE 120146 (B) HARARE 3465 CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD REASONS 1.5 B/D. ¶1. (C) ON JUNE 26 AMBASSADOR MCDONALD DELIVERED REFTEL DEMARCHE TO DR. MACHIVENYIKA MAPURANGA, PERMANENT SECRETARY OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. AS THE SIPDIS CONVERSATION EVOLVED IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE DEMARCHE WAS A NON-STARTER. MAPURANGA REPORTED THAT DURING A MINI SUMMIT IN HARARE JUNE 25 NAMIBIAN PRESIDENT SAM NUJOMA AND PRESIDENT MUGABE (ANGOLA'S DOS SANTOS DID NOT COME AS REPORTED IN REF B) BOTH PRESSED CONGOLESE PRESIDENT LAURENT KABILA TO RECONSIDER HIS POSITION ON SIR KETUMILE MASIRE AS FACILITATOR OF CONGOLESE NATIONAL DIALOGUE. THE CONGOLESE PRESIDENT THANKED HIS ALLIES FOR THEIR OPINIONS, BUT STATED THAT HE HAD ALREADY MADE UP HIS MIND. WHILE STRONGLY COMMITTED TO THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE KABILA SAID HE WAS DONE WITH MASIRE. THE SADC ALLIES FAILED TO CONVINCE KABILA AND MUGABE NOW REGARDS IT AS A DEAD ISSUE. KABILA SAID HE HAD ALREADY WRITTEN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 03489 261550Z TO PRESIDENT CHILUBA AND OAU CHAIRMAN SALIM COMMUNICATING HIS POSITION. ¶2. (C) THE PRESIDENTS ALSO DISCUSSED THE AMOUNT OF TERRITORY THAT JEAN-PIERRE BEMBA OF THE MLC HAD SEIZED SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE LUSAKA ACCORDS. THE SADC ALLIES THOUGHT THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES WERE NOT APPLYING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE ON BEMBA TO RETURN TO THE PRE-LUSAKA ACCORDS LINES. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >