UNDP RESREP BRIEFS DONORS ON UN/UNDP

1. (SBU) UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE AND UN RESIDENT
COORDINATOR IN ZIMBABWE VICTOR ANGELO BRIEFED DONORS ON
SEPTEMBER 28 ON THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF A FIVE-PERSON
MISSION SENT TO LOOK FOR POSSIBLE AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT ON
ZIMBABWE'S LAND REFORM PROGRAM. THIS MISSION IS A
FOLLOW-UP TO THE RECENT "MINI-LAND SUMMIT" AT UNGA IN
NEW YORK, WHERE IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE UN MIGHT PLAY
A "FOCAL ROLE" IN ASSISTING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE (REF
B). PRINCIPALLY THE TEAM WILL DETERMINE WHETHER A SOUND
TECHNICAL PROCESS CAN BE ESTABLISHED GUIDED BY AND
CONSISTENT WITH THE PRINCIPLES AGREED AT THE 1998 LAND
DONORS' CONFERENCE. THE IMPRESSIVELY QUALIFIED TEAM,
WHICH ARRIVED ON SEPTEMBER 26 AND WILL DEPART ON OCTOBER
13, CONSISTS OF DR. JACQUES CHONCHOL (CHILE), AN EXPERT
ON LAND REFORM; PLINIO SAMPAIO (BRAZIL) AN EXPERT IN
ANALYSIS AND APPRAISAL OF LAND REFORM AND AGRICULTURE;
PROFESSOR H.W.O. OKOTH-OGENDO (KENYA) AN EXPERT IN LAND
LAW AND LEGISLATION; KENNETH ALLISON (JAMAICA), AN
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EXPERT IN PROPERTY EVALUATION; AND JEAN BARUT, (BURUNDI)
A SENIOR UNDP ECONOMIST. THE UNDP RESIDENT COORDINATOR
INVITED THE HEAVILY ATTENDED MEETING PARTICIPANTS TO
RETURN OCTOBER 12 FOR AN OUT-BRIEFING BY THE TEAM ON ITS
FINDINGS.



2. (SBU) THE UNDP RESREP REPORTED THAT THE TEAM'S FIRST
MEETING HAD BEEN WITH NEWLY INSTALLED MINISTRY OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS PERMANENT SECRETARY WILLARD CHIWEWE, WHO
WILL BE THE TEAM'S GOVERNMENT POINT OF CONTACT, AND WILL
CHAIR ALL MEETINGS ON THE GOVERNMENT SIDE. WHILE
CALLING THE MISSION'S VISIT "A NEW BEGINNING," CHIWEWE
IMMEDIATELY LAID DOWN A MARKER: THE GOVERNMENT'S "FAST
TRACK" APPROACH TO LAND REFORM WAS "NON-NEGOTIABLE" AND
COULD NOT BE CHALLENGED. ANGELO SUGGESTED THAT TO
OVERCOME THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT'S INITIAL HARD-LINE
POSITION THE TEAM WOULD PROBABLY PROPOSE THREE
SCENARIOS, STARTING WITH A SHORT-TERM ONE (LEAST
FEASIBLE) AND PROCEEDING TO A LONG-TERM (MOST FEASIBLE)
ONE. THE SENIOR ZIMBABWEAN DIPLOMAT HOPED THE MISSION
WOULD BREAK NEW GROUND IN FINDING A WAY OF RELAUNCHING
THE DIALOGUE ON LAND. ANGELO CONTINUED THAT THE UNITED
NATIONS WOULD DEPLOY A "MIRROR MISSION" TO LOOK INTO THE
RULE OF LAW, WHICH HE SAID WAS A SINE QUA NON FOR A
TECHNICALLY SOUND LAND REFORM PROCESS. THE UNDP RESREP
TOOK PAINS TO ASSURE HIS DONOR LISTENERS THAT THE TEAM
WOULD CONSULT AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLY WITH ALL
STAKEHOLDERS. A SUBTEXT OF ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE
GOVERNMENT WAS THE NEED TO REACH DOMESTIC CONSENSUS ON A
MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE PLAN OF ACTION, AND THUS IT WOULD AT
EVERY OPPORTUNITY REMIND ITS GOVERNMENT INTERLOCUTORS TO
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ENTER INTO DIALOGUE WITH CIVIL SOCIETY. BY OCTOBER 12
THE TEAM HOPED TO PRESENT ITS ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT
OF THE FAST TRACK PLAN. AMONG THOSE ASPECTS IT WILL
INVESTIGATE IS WHETHER THE PROGRAM IS SUSTAINABLE, WHAT
IS ITS IMPACT ON CONSIDERATIONS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE,
EQUITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE COUNTRY'S NATURAL
RESOURCE BASE. THE TEAM WILL ALSO LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF
THE FAST TRACK PROCESS ON THE SUB-REGION.



3. (C) ALTHOUGH ANGELO'S PRESENTATION GENERATED LITTLE
DEBATE OR QUESTIONING OF THE MISSION'S PURPOSE, VARIOUS
DONORS INTERVENED WITH OBSERVATIONS OF WHICH THE UNDP
RESREP TOOK NOTE. THE SWEDISH AMBASSADOR SUGGESTED THAT
IN TERMS OF DONOR ASSISTANCE TO ZIMBABWE'S LAND REFORM
PROGRAM IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO REINVENT THE WHEEL. THE
1998 DONORS' CONFERENCE HAD PRODUCED MUCH LITERATURE AND
WILLARD CHIWEWE HAD BEEN CHAIRMAN OF A KEY WORKING GROUP
AT THE CONFERENCE HAMMERING OUT GOVERNMENT DONOR
AGREEMENTS. THE AMBASSADOR STRESSED THAT UNLESS RULE OF
LAW WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE FARMS THERE WAS NO POINT IN
GOING AHEAD WITH LAND REFORM ASSISTANCE, AND URGED THE
UN/UNDP MISSION TO TAKE ZIMBABWE'S CURRENT ECONOMIC
SITUATION INTO ACCOUNT AS IT FORMULATED ITS
RECOMMENDATIONS. A EUROPEAN UNION (EU) REPRESENTATIVE
STRESSED THE NEED FOR DOMESTIC DIALOGUE AND NOTED THAT
FEW DONORS UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE GOVERNMENT'S FAST TRACK

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ACTION IO-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00
SMEC-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00
EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 HHS-01 H-01 SSA-01
TEDE-00 INR-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OES-01
OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00
P-00 SP-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 R-00
PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00
/012W


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8AFA87 281455Z /38
O 281453Z SEP 00
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7228
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
USDOC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 005514

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH

PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA,
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VNEWTON, AND A/AID RMCCALL

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER

LONDON FOR GURNEY
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PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2010
TAGS: EAGR PGOV PINS PINR ZI
SUBJECT: UNDP RESREP BRIEFS DONORS ON UN/UNDP
MISSION TO REVIEW ZIMBABWE'S LAND REFORM PROGRAM

PROGRAM ENTAILED. HE CAUTIONED THE MISSION MEMBERS THAT
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LAND REFORM AND
RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM WAS NOT CLEAR AND DIVIDED AMONG
SEVERAL CENTERS, BUT PRESIDENT MUGABE ALWAYS HAD THE
LAST WORD. ANOTHER EU REPRESENTATIVE ADVISED THE
MISSION NOT TO REPORT IT HAD REACHED EVEN PARTIAL
CONSENSUS WHEN NONE IN FACT EXISTED, AS HAD BEEN THE
EXPERIENCE OF SEVERAL MISSIONS THAT HAD COME TO ZIMBABWE
WITH SIMILAR MANDATES. THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER
RECEIVED ASSURANCES FROM THE TEAM THAT THE MISSION WOULD
COORDINATE ITS WORK WITH THE WORLD BANK, WHICH IS
STARTING WORK ON A MODELING ACTIVITY DESIGNED TO ASSESS
THE VARIOUS SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF DIFFERENT ZIMBABWE
LAND REFORM SCENARIOS. A JAPANESE AID OFFICER URGED THE
TEAM TO INCLUDE IN ITS REPORT SOME MENTION OF THE IMPACT
ON THE SOME 2 MILLION FARM WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
WHO STAND TO BE DISPLACED BY THE FAST TRACK PROGRAM.
THE JAPANESE DIPLOMAT ALSO ASKED THE MISSION TO LOOK
CLOSELY AT THE CRITERIA FOR BENEFICIARIES OF LAND
REFORM, AND FOR AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FAST TRACK PROGRAM
TO DATE. THE NEW ZEALAND HIGH COMMISSIONER CALLED FOR A
PROGRAM THAT WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL NO MATTER WHAT THE
POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND NOTED THAT CARE SHOULD BE
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TAKEN TO ASSIGN LAND TO THOSE WHO WERE CAPABLE OF
FARMING IT, WHO WERE FEW. RESPONDING TO A DUTCH
DIPLOMAT'S QUESTION OF WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP
FOLLOWING SUBMISSION OF THE TEAM'S REPORT, VICTOR ANGELO
REPLIED THAT THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL WOULD HAVE TO
DECIDE, BUT THAT BEYOND THAT, NOT MUCH THOUGHT HAD BEEN
GIVEN TO THE MATTER. FINALLY, A SWEDISH AID OFFICIAL
COMMENTED THAT THE TEAM LIKELY WOULD FIND MANY BRIDGES
ON TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM THAT WOULD BE SHARED
BY VERY SENIOR OFFICIALS, INCLUDING MINISTERS. HE
ADVISED THE TEAM TO STAY IN CLOSE CONSULTATION WITH
CHIWEWE, ARGUABLY MUGABE'S MOST TRUSTED CIVIL SERVANT,
TO DETERMINE THE POLITICAL FEASIBILITY OF THOSE
TECHNICAL PROPOSALS.



4. (C) COMMENT: OUR COLLEAGUES WERE FOR THE MOST PART
THE VERY MODEL OF OLD-FASHIONED DIPLOMATS FACED WITH A
PROPOSITION ABOUT WHICH THEY WERE LESS THAN
ENTHUSIASTIC: OBLIQUE, POLITE, AND NON-COMMITTAL. THOSE
WHO SPOKE CLEARLY, HOWEVER, MADE IT PLAIN THAT RULE OF
LAW IS THE ISSUE FOR THE DONOR COMMUNITY, AND IF FAST
TRACK IS THE ISSUE FOR THE GOVERNMENT, THEN POTENTIALLY
SERIOUS PROBLEMS LIE AHEAD. FOR OUR PART, WHILE WE ARE
IMPRESSED WITH THE ASSEMBLED TEAM, WE QUESTION HOW WE
CAN GET SOMETHING USEFUL OUT OF SUCH A SHORT TDY,
PARTICULARLY IN ZIMBABWE'S POLARIZED POLITICAL CLIMATE.
RESREP ANGELO, FOR HIS PART, HAS WALKED INTO A TIGHT
SPOT. IF HE IS SEEN AS TOO ACCOMMODATING OF THE
GOVERNMENT, HE RISKS A CONTENTIOUS TENURE HERE. END
COMMENT.

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