LAND TASK FORCE TRIES TO PUT BEST FACE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 007263 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER PASS USAID FOR A/AID R.MCCALL, AA/AFR V. DERRYCK AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 07263 01 OF 02 281020Z AFR/SA C. PALMA PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2010 TAGS: PGOV EAGR EAID PINR ZI SUBJECT: LAND TASK FORCE TRIES TO PUT BEST FACE ON FAST TRACK RESETTLEMENT EXERCISE REF: HARARE 7163 AND PREVIOUS CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (UNDP) RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE VICTOR ANGELO HOSTED A MEETING ON DECEMBER 21 FOR SELECTED HEADS OF MISSION WITH MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE'S LAND TASK FORCE THAT INCLUDED MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING IGNATIUS CHOMBO, MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIMBA MAKONI, MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE AND RESETTLEMENT JOSEPH MADE, AND MINISTER OF STATE IN VICE PRESIDENT MSIKA'S OFFICE OLIVIA MUCHENA. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WAS TO ACQUAINT KEY DONORS WITH THE EVOLVING VIEWS OF AND STEPS TAKEN BY THE TASK FORCE WITH RESPECT TO THE CURRENT LAND REFORM AND RESETTLEMENT EXERCISE. THE METING WAS CONVENED SHORTLY AFTER UNDP ADMINISTRATOR MARK MALLOCH BROWN'S LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUGABE (REFTEL) WAS DELIVERED, BUT THE MINISTERS BEGGED OFF DISCUSSING IT, AS THEY HAD NOT YET SEEN IT. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 07263 01 OF 02 281020Z ¶2. (C) CHOMBO DOMINATED THE MEETING AND COVERED A LOT OF WELL-TROD GROUND, SAYING LAND REFORM IN ZIMBABWE WAS IRREVERSIBLE AND THAT IT WAS "UNHEALTHY" TO CONTINUE TO DEBATE THE ISSUE. HE WAVED AWAY THE RESULTS OF THE 1998 LAND DONORS' CONFERENCE THAT PRODUCED NO FUNDS, A FACT THAT FORCED THE GOVERNMENT TO "GO IT ALONE" IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE LAND AND RESETTLE PEOPLE ON IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. HE ALSO SAID THAT ONCE THE GOALS OF THE FAST- TRACK RESETTLEMENT EXERCISE WERE ACCOMPLISHED, THE "FINANCE MINISTER CAN COME UP WITH POLICIES TO PICK UP THE ECONOMY." HOWEVER, HE CONCEDED THAT "WE ARE AMENABLE TO DONORS ASSISTING US AFTER ACQUISITION." HE STATED THAT THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION MASQUERADES AS A PRESSURE GROUP THAT DOES NOT REPRESENT MORE THAN 20 PERCENT OF ITS MEMBERSHIP, AND WAS BLOCKING PROGRESS USING THE COURTS AND "BREATHING TERROR" INTO ITS MEMBERS �0A;WHO WOULD WANT TO COOPERATE WITH THE GOVERNMENT. CHOMBO STIFF-ARMED ANY CALLS BY THE FOREIGN HEADS OF MISSION FOR A RETURN TO THE RULE OF LAW, SAYING THE WORDS STRUCK FEAR INTO PEOPLE'S HEARTS IN ZIMBABWE AS, IN HEARING THEM, THEY WERE REMINDED OF THE DAILY, DRACONIAN EDICTS ISSUED BY RHODESIAN FRONT LAW AND ORDER MINISTER LARDNER BECK. ¶3. (C) THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING MINISTER COUNTERED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS FOLLOWING ITS OWN LAW AND RULES ON LAND REFORM. IT HAD DELISTED 190 FARMS, SOME OF WHICH FALL UNDER ITS CRITERIA OF LAND THAT WILL NOT BE ACQUIRED, FOR EXAMPLE CONSERVANCIES, CHURCH PROPERTY, EXPORT ZONES, LAND THAT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 07263 01 OF 02 281020Z MET FOREIGN INVESTMENT CRITERIA, AND SOME NOT. THE GOVERNMENT, HE CONTINUED, WOULD MOVE "DEMONSTRATORS" OFF LAND THAT WAS NOT TARGETED FOR ACQUISITION. THE GOVERNMENT ALSO HAD INTRODUCED THE CONCEPT OF "ACQUISITION BY CONSENT," WHEREBY A COMMERCIAL FARMER WOULD GIVE UP A PORTION OF LAND NORMALLY NOT USED IN FARMING FOR RESETTLEMENT AND WOULD BE ALLOWED TO KEEP THE CORE AREA FOR HIS BUSINESS. ¶4. (C) AFTER CHOMBO CONCEDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB OF COMMUNICATING ITS POLICIES AND ACTIONS, LANDS, AGRICULTURE AND RESETTLEMENT MINISTER MADE EXPLAINED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD ACQUIRED THE INITIAL 804 FARMS LISTED IN JUNE AND THAT THE PROCESS BY WHICH IT HAD DONE SO MET WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. ACQUISITION ORDERS FOR THE BALANCE OF 2,000 FARMS WOULD BE ISSUED IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2001 AND THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE HAD ALREADY MET TO ASSESS THE COST TO THE GOVERNMENT. HE ALSO LAUNCHED A LONG, SINUOUS, EXPLANATION OF HOW THE LAND REFORM PROCESS WAS NOT MEANT TO DISRUPT THE STABILITY OF COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE, THE BACKBONE OF ZIMBABWE'S ECONOMY, AND CONCLUDED, "IN THE POLITICAL ARENA, WE MUST ACCEPT THAT YOU HAVE YOUR CONSTITUENCY AND WE HAVE OURS." UNDERSCORING THE OSTENSIBLE ORDERLINESS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S LAND REFORM PROCESS, MINISTER OF STATE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ7200 PAGE 01 HARARE 07263 02 OF 02 281020Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 COME-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 HHS-01 H-01 SSA-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 DCP-01 NSAE-00 OES-01 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 R-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /012W -------------- B05B84 281021Z /38 R 281020Z DEC 00 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7895 INFO NSC WASHDC SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AMEMBASSY NAIROBI C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 007263 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER PASS USAID FOR A/AID R.MCCALL, AA/AFR V. DERRYCK AND AFR/SA C. PALMA CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 07263 02 OF 02 281020Z PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2010 TAGS: PGOV EAGR EAID PINR ZI SUBJECT: LAND TASK FORCE TRIES TO PUT BEST FACE ON FAST TRACK RESETTLEMENT EXERCISE MUCHENA CHIMED IN THAT DETAILED PLANS EXISTED AS TO WHAT WOULD BE DONE WITH EVERY FARM IDENTIFIED FOR ACQUISITION IN HER MASHONALAND EAST CONSTITUENCY. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: THE MEETING MARKED THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR KEY DONORS TO MEET FACE-TO-FACE AND EXCHANGE VIEWS WITH GOVERNMENT CABINET MEMBERS. THE PECKING ORDER WAS CLEAR: CHOMBO, FOLLOWED (DISTANTLY) BY MUCHENA, MAKONI AND MADE. THE MINISTERS SEEMED TO HAVE AN ANSWER FOR EVERY ARGUMENT THE WESTERN AMBASSADORS MIGHT ADVANCE; CLEARLY THESE HAD BEEN DEBATED WITHIN THE COUNCILS OF STATE AND PARTY HERE. TWO THINGS STRUCK US AS EYEBROW RAISING. THE FIRST WAS CHOMBO'S RELEGATION OF THE ECONOMY TO SOMETHING TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT AFTER THE REAL BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE SECOND WAS THE ARROGANCE OF THIS GOVERNMENT THAT THINKS IT HAS THE MONOPOLY ON TRUTH AND JUSTICE AND INVITES THE DONOR COMMUNITY TO FUND ITS SOCIAL ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT UNCRITICALLY. THE MINISTERS ONLY ENTERTAINED MEETING WITH THE DONORS BECAUSE THERE'S A CREEPING REALIZATION WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT THAT WITHOUT RESOURCES, THE FAST-TRACK RESETTLEMENT EXERCISE WILL FAIL. ON THE BASIS OF THE ATTITUDES AND NEGOTIATING CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 07263 02 OF 02 281020Z SKILLS THEY DISPLAYED, DONORS WERE NOT READY TO SIGN ON. THE GOVERNMENT MIGHT SHIFT THE BLAME ONTO SOMEONE ELSE FOR ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FAILURES, A FACT THAT SHOULD NOT BE LOST SIGHT OF. IF THE GOVERNMENT CONTINUES ALONG THIS PATH WITHOUT MAKING ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO ITS METHODS, ITS REAL LEGACY MAY WELL BE A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS ENGINEERED IN HARARE AND PLACED AT THE DOORS OF THE DONORS FOR CLEAN-UP AND RESOLUTION. END COMMENT. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >