CANADIAN REPORT OF CONVERSATION ON CONGO

1. (C) FOLLOWING IS AN ACCOUNT BY CANADIAN DEPUTY HIGH
COMMISSIONER IN HARARE RON WILLSON (STRICTLY PROTECT) OF
THE SAME CONVERSATION REPORTED IN REFTEL. WILLSON
SUPPLIES ADDITIONAL DETAIL, PARTICULARLY ON ZIMBABWEAN
PERCEPTIONS OF THE RWANDA-UGANDA RIFT, STRAINS IN HIS
GOVERNMENT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ANGOLA IN THE WAKE OF
LAURENT KABILA'S ASSASSINATION, INCLUDING THE SUSPICION
THE LATTER MAY HAVE HAD A HAND IN IT, AND THE FRENCH
ROLE IN THE CONGO.



2. (C) [BEGIN TEXT OF REPORT] SUMMARY: ZIMBABWE EXPECTS
NEXT MONTH TO START REPATRIATING TROOPS IN SUBSTANTIAL
NUMBERS. IT CLAIMS THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO FALLING OUT
WITH ANGOLA. IT SEES WESTERN POWERS AS BEING MORE
SUPPORTIVE NOW OF THE PEACE PROCESS, BUT BELIEVES
RWANDAN SECURITY CONCERNS ARE STILL GIVEN TOO MUCH
CREDENCE. SUSPICIONS REMAIN HIGH THAT RWANDA AND UGANDA
WILL TRY TO SCUTTLE THE PEACE PROCESS. [END SUMMARY.]



3. (C) REPORT: TOGETHER WITH US CHARGE WE MET ON 16
MARCH WITH DAVID HAMADZIRIPI, FORMERLY MFA
UNDERSECRETARY FOR AFRICA AND NOW ASSISTANT TO
ZIMBABWE'S SPECIAL ENVOY IN KINSHASA. HE HAS BEEN OUT
OF KINSHASA FOR PAST MONTH, ACCOMPANYINQ MINISTER
MUDENGE IN LUSAKA AND NEW YORK AND PRESIDENT MUQABE IN
BRUSSELS AND PARIS.

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4. (C) HAMADZIRIPI REPEATED MUCH OF WHAT MUDENQE SAID
IN BRIEFINQ TO DIPLOMATIC CORPS REPORTED IN OUR WUGR0042
OF 14 MARCH. HE WAS AWARE OF OUR 15 MARCH PRESS RELEASE
IN ZIMBABWE AND WAS NOT PLEASED WITH IT, BUT THIS DID
NOT DETRACT FROM OTHERWISE FRIENDLY EXCHANGE.



5. (C) WHILE ARGUING THAT KABILA WAS KEEPING MUGABE
INFORMED, THEIR LAST EXCHANGE HAVING APPARENTLY BEEN IN
SIRTE (BUT NOT IN WINDHOEK, WHERE SADC BUSINESS CROWDED
OUT EVERYTHING ELSE), HAMADZIRIPI DID ALLOW THAT IN SOME
QUARTERS IN HARARE THERE WAS SIMMERING RESENTMENT THAT
KABILA HAD NOT YET VISITED HERE BUT WAS ALREADY ON HIS
SECOND TRIP TO EUROPE. BY WAY OF JUSTIFICATION, THOUGH,
HAMADZIRIPI SAID THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT DOMESTICALLY FOR
KABILA TO BE PERCEIVED AS HIS OWN MAN.



6. (C) HAMADZIRIPI SAID THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE CONCERNED
THAT ZIMBABWEAN TROOPS HAD NOT YET STARTED TO WITHDRAW
UNDER PHASE TWO. ORDERS HAD BEEN SENT OUT FROM HARARE
TO THE FIELD AND THE WITHDRAWAL SHOULD BEGIN SOON. NEXT
MONTH TROOPS WOULD BEGIN TO BE REPATRIATED TO ZIMBABWE,
FROM BOTH THE EXTRA TROOPS DISPATCHED AFTER THE
ASSASSINATION OF LAURENT KABILA AND THOSE BEING PULLED
BACK UNDER PHASE TWO. HE SAID MONUC HAD ASKED ALLIED
FORCES NOT TO OCCUPY PWETO EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE
ENTITLED TO DO SO UNDER KAMPALA AND THE HARARE SUBPLANS.
HE GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT ZIMBABWE WOULD COMPLY.



7. (C) HAMADZIRIPI AS USUAL REMAINED SUSPICIOUS OF BOTH
UGANDA AND RWANDA, THOUGH NOT DISAPPOINTED WITH THEIR
FALLING OUT WITH EACH OTHER. UGANDA HAD SO FAR
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PAGE 04 HARARE 01051 01 OF 02 191126Z
WITHDRAWN 550 SOLDIERS, NOT THE TWO BRIGADES IT WAS
TOUTING. RWANDA HAD OFFERED TO WITHDRAW 200 KILOMETERS
ONLY BECAUSE THIS WOULD SHORTEN ITS OVERSTRETCHED LINES
OF RESUPPLY. HE SAID THAT ZIMBABWE TOOK RWANDA'S
SECURITY CONCERNS SERIOUSLY, CITING SOME DIRECT
BILATERAL EXCHANGES ON THE MATTER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME
ESSENTIALLY DISMISSED THEM AS A PRETEXT. WE ARGUED THAT
THEY HAD TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. RWANDA'S FIT OF ANGER
WITH ZAMBIA FOR ALLOWING SUSPECTED GENOCIDAIRES TO
ESCAPE WAS A FURTHER SIGN OF THE SERIOUSNESS WITH WHICH
THAT COUNTRY REGARDED THE ISSUE.



8. (C) HAMADZIRIPI
DISMISSED REPORTS THAT SERIOUS
DIFFERENCES HAD EMERGED BETWEEN ZIMBABWE AND ANGOLA IN
THE AFTERMATH OF LAURENT KABILA'S ASSASSINATION. HE
ALSO DENIED THAT ZIMBABWE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE
INVESTIGATION OF THE ASSASSINATION. ZIMBABWE WAS ONLY
THE CHAIR OF WHAT WAS A SADC COMMISSION WHICH INCLUDED
ALL THE ALLIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, HAMADZIRIPI AT ONE
POINT SEEMED TO HINT THAT THE ANGOLANS COULD HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE ASSASSINATION.

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CONFIDENTIAL PTO4415

PAGE 01 HARARE 01051 02 OF 02 191127Z
ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00
WHA-00 DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00
VCE-00 M-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 PM-00 ACE-00 PMB-00
DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W


--------------------------

D3F67E 191127Z /38
P 191123Z MAR 01
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8456
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY
RWANDA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 001051

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: DECL: (1.6X5)
TAGS: PGOV MCAP CG ZI RW UG CA
SUBJECT: CANADIAN REPORT OF CONVERSATION ON CONGO
WITH ASSISTANT SADC SPECIAL ENVOY

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PAGE 02 HARARE 01051 02 OF 02 191127Z


9. (C) HAMADZIRIPI SAID THAT THE REASON ANGOLAN ARMED
FORCES COMMANDER DE MATOS HAD BEEN SACKED WAS FOR HIS
FREE-LANCING WITH UGANDA. HE HAD GONE TOO FAR IN HIS
OVERTURES TO UGANDA WITHOUT DOS SANTOS' APPROVAL AND THE
PRESIDENT ALSO SAW HIM AS A POTENTIAL RIVAL. ZIMBABWE
WAS NOW CONFIDENT THAT ANGOLA HAD "DRAWN A LINE IN THE
SAND" AT MBANDAKA AGAINST THE MLC AND UGANDA.
ZIMBABWEAN AND ANGOLAN TROOPS WERE WORKING HARMONIOUSLY
IN KINSHASA, LUBUMBASHI AND WHEREVER ELSE THEY WERE
STATIONED TOGETHER.



10. (C) AS FOR THE POSITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL
PLAYERS, HAMADZIRIPI EXPRESSED SATISFACTION WITH THE US
POSITION, WHICH HE PERCEIVES AS HAVING EVOLVED IN
FAVORABLE DIRECTION UNDER THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. THE
UK IS STILL PERCEIVED AS A SPOILER. BELGIUM WAS GOING
ALL-OUT TO PLAY A LARGE ROLE, IN CONTRAST TO THE
PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT THERE, WHICH HAD BACKED AWAY FROM
AFRICA. BELGIUM WAS OFFERING, FOR EXAMPLE, TO HOST AND
PAY FOR THE INTER-CONGOLESE DIALOGUE. HE SAW THE
BELGIANS AS BEING SYMPATHETIC TO THE UNARMED OPPOSITION.
HAMADZIRIPI WAS ODDLY RETICENT ABOUT FRENCH POLICY. HE
ALLOWED THAT THE FRENCH DID NOT LIKE KAGAME, BUT SEEMED
TO PERCEIVE THE FRENCH POSITION AS BEING NOT ENTIRELY
FAVORABLE TO THE ZIMBABWEAN POSITION. [END TEXT OF
REPORT.]

IRVING

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