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
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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

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