HARARE'S PERSPECTIVE ON LUSAKA SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 004536 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR A/S RICE AND PDAS POWELL NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH USUN FOR HOLBROOKE E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/10 TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS ZI CG SUBJECT: HARARE'S PERSPECTIVE ON LUSAKA SUMMIT CLASSIFIED BY AMB. TOM MCDONALD. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 04536 161606Z (D). ¶1. (C) AMBASSADOR MCDONALD SPOKE TO ZIMBABWE UNDERSECRETARY FOR AFRICA DAVID HAMADZIRIPI ON AUGUST 15 ABOUT HARARE'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE PROCEEDINGS AND OUTCOME OF THE LUSAKA DROC SUMMIT. HAMADZIRIPI, WHO HAD JUST RETURNED FROM LUSAKA, WHERE HE WAS STAFFING PRESIDENT MUGABE AND FOREIGN MINISTER STANISLAUS MUDENGE, TOLD THE AMBASSADOR THAT THE MEETING WENT QUITE WELL. THE UNDERSECRETARY SAID THE LUSAKA ACCORDS ARE ALIVE AND WELL AND THAT ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED RECOMMITTED THEMSELVES TO THEM. ALTHOUGH PRESIDENT KABILA WAS THE ONLY HEAD OF STATE NOT IN AGREEMENT ON THE PATH FORWARD, HAMADZIRIPI DID NOT CHARACTERIZE KABILA AS BEING OSTRACIZED BY THE OTHER HEADS OF STATE AT THE SUMMIT. THE UNDERSECRETARY NOTED THAT THE ATMOSPHERE WAS GENERALLY POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE. ZIMBABWE, IN PARTICULAR, WAS PLEASED WITH RWANDA'S PROPOSAL TO WITHDRAW 200 KILOMETERS. ¶2. (C) DESPITE THE FAILURE TO OBTAIN KABILA'S AGREEMENT ON MASIRE AS FACILITATOR AND PROBLEMS RELATED TO MONUC DEPLOYMENT, ZIMBABWE IS HOPEFUL THAT MOMENTUM WILL BUILD FROM THE SUMMIT. HAMADZIRIPI TOLD THE AMBASSADOR THAT MUSEVENI AND MUGABE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO DISCUSS THE MASIRE IMPASSE AND OTHER ISSUES AT THE SADC SMART PARTNERSHIP MEETING STARTING IN MAPUTO THIS WEEKEND AND CONTINUING INTO NEXT WEEK. AT THE SUMMIT, THE PARTICIPANTS DISCUSSED BRINGING IN ONE TO THREE INDIVIDUALS TO ASSIST MASIRE, AND NAMES WERE MENTIONED, ACCORDING TO HAMADZIRIPI, BUT HE DID NOT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 04536 161606Z SHARE ANY NAMES WITH THE AMBASSADOR. HE ALSO NOTED THAT AS A RESULT OF THE SUMMIT, DEFENSE CHIEFS WILL MEET NEXT WEEK TO FOLLOW UP ON DETAILS OF DISENGAGEMENT. THE REBEL GROUPS AND THE KABILA GOVERNMENT, FOR THEIR PART, ARE DUE TO MEET SOON TO DISCUSS MODALITIES. REGARDING MONUC ISSUES, FOREIGN MINISTER MUDENGE WILL CHAIR A POLITICAL COMMITTEE MEETING IN THE NEAR TERM. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: ZIMBABWE'S FOREIGN MINISTRY IS UPBEAT ABOUT REVIVING THE LUSAKA ACCORDS AND CREATING THE CONDITIONS TO EXPAND THE MONUC PRESENCE. THIS LIKELY HAS MORE TO DO WITH MUGABE'S PERENNIAL HOPE THAT HE CAN BRING HOME THE TROOPS THAT CONTINUE TO DRAIN THE TREASURY AND PROVIDE A LIGHTNING ROD FOR OPPOSITION CRITICISM THAN ANY BREAKTHROUGH IN LUSAKA. ZIMBABWE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO DISENGAGE FROM THE CONGO WITHOUT A FACE-COSTING UNILATERAL WITHDRAWAL. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >