FOREIGN MINISTER CONVOKES COMMONWEALTH HEADS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001082 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ZI ADCO SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER CONVOKES COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF MISSION FOR A HARANGUE ON THE CMAG STATEMENT ON CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01082 01 OF 02 211531Z ZIMBABWE CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) ZIMBABWEAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS STANISLAUS MUDENGE SUMMONED COMMONWEALTH AND SADC HEADS OF MISSION IN HARARE ON MARCH 21 TO DELIVER A TWO-HOUR HARANGUE ON THE COMMONWEALTH MINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP (CMAG) STATEMENT ISSUED THE DAY BEFORE IN LONDON. "NOTHING WHICH HAS HAPPENED IN ZIMBABWE CONSTITUTES A VIOLATION OF THE HARARE DECLARATION," THE MINISTER SAID IN A STATEMENT RELEASED FOLLOWING THE MEETING. CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER JAMES WALL TOLD CHARGE THAT MUDENGE INSISTED THAT ONLY "PERSISTENT, CONSISTENT VIOLATIONS OF THE HARARE DECLARATION" WARRANTED CONSIDERATION BY THE CMAG, THUS ITS DISCUSSION OF ZIMBABWE UNDER "ANY OTHER BUSINESS" AND DECISION TO SEND A DELEGATION TO ZIMBABWE WAS NOT ONLY IRREGULAR BUT ALSO ILLEGAL. HE RULED OUT ANY CMAG MISSION. ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER IN HARARE, IAN HAY-CAMPBELL, THE CMAG'S DECISION TO ISSUE THE STATEMENT AND SEND THE TEAM WAS GALVANIZED BY MUDENGE TELEPHONING COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY GENERAL MCKINNON DURING THE DISCUSSION AND ISSUING THREATS IN INTEMPERATE LANGUAGE, THAT WERE SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED TO THE CMAG MEMBERS. ANY FENCE-SITTERS WERE IMMEDIATELY CONVINCED OF THE CORRECTNESS OF THE RECOMMENDATION FOR A MISSION AND STATEMENT. ¶2. (C) ACCORDINQ TO THE CANADIAN HIQH COMMISSIONER, MUDENGE GENERALIZED THAT ANY CONCERN IN ZIMBABWE BOILED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 01082 01 OF 02 211531Z DOWN TO LAND. THE FOREIQN MINISTER SAID HIS GOVERNMENT HAD NOT MOVED AS FAST AS IT SHOULD HAVE TO RESOLVE THE LAND QUESTION IN THE 1980S AND BY 1997 WAS DESPERATE. IT WAS GLAD FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION OFFER TO HOST A DONORS' CONFERENCE. HE WAVED AWAY THE UTILITY OF THE CONFERENCE SINCE THE DONORS HAD DONE "NOTHING," AND IN ANY CASE, THE PROBLEM WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO BRITAIN'S STRING OF BROKEN PROMISES. HE TOLD THE GATHERED HEADS OF MISSION THAT "INTERNATIONAL CONCERN WAS MISPLACED," SINCE THE CURRENT DISPUTE WAS A BILATERAL ONE BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ZIMBABWE. "DON'T GANG UP ON ZIMBABWE," HE PLEADED, "FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T TAKE SIDES." HE ALSO WARNED THEM NOT TO INTERFERE IN ZIMBABWEAN DOMESTIC POLITICS (COMMENT: PRESUMABLY A REFERENCE TO EXTERNAL SUPPORT OF THE OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE. END COMMENT). OTHERWISE, THE PEOPLE "WILL ACT VERY STRONQLY." ¶3. (C) DURINQ THE QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME THE MINISTER REDUCED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE JUDICIARY TO A MISHANDLING OF CHIEF JUSTICE GUBBAY'S RESIGNATION. HE CALLED THE GOVERNMENT'S CRITICISM OF THE JUDICIARY "A HEALTHY DEMOCRATIC EXERCISE," CITING FREQUENT CRITICISM OF JUDICIAL RULINQS AND IMPEACHMENT OF JUDGES BY LEGISLATURES IN THE U.S. HE ALSO CAST ASPERSIONS PERSONALLY ON GUBBAY, WHO COMPARED UNFAVORABLY WITH PREVIOUS CHIEF JUSTICES WHO WERE MUCH BETTER AT HANDLING CRITICISM. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE SUPREME COURT'S RULINGS ON LAND WERE CORRECT LEGALLY, BUT NOT MORALLY. HE POOH-POOHED CRITICISMS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S APPROACH TOWARD THE MEDIA, SAYING ZIMBABWE HAS "EXTREME PRESS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 01082 01 OF 02 211531Z FREEDOM," AND REMARKED (ERRONEOUSLY) THAT TWO FOREIGN JOURNALISTS HAD RECENTLY BEEN EXPELLED BECAUSE THEIR WORK PERMITS HAD EXPIRED. REGARDING THE BOMBING OF THE "DAILY NEWS" THE MINISTER SAID, "SO WHAT?" AND NOTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "THE HERALD" OFFERED TO PRINT THE PAPER THE FOLLOWING DAY. HE CONTINUED THAT LAND REFORM WAS IRREVERSIBLE AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE CURRENT PROCESS WAS COMPLETELY FLAWED. HE WENT ON TO DRAW AN ANALOGY ABOUT PLANE CRASH VICTIMS EATINQ HUMAN FLESH TO SURVIVE IN AN UNFORTUNATE ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THAT HIS GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN DRIVEN TO EXTREME MEASURES TO SATISFY THE PEOPLE'S HUNGER FOR LAND. HE ENDED THE MEETING BY STATING THAT "WE [IN THE ZANU-PF- LED GOVERNMENT] ARE REVOLUTIONARIES" WHO BELIEVE THAT "WHAT WE ARE DOINQ IS RIQHT" AND WOULD RATHER BE DEFEATED THAN BACK DOWN. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: FROM OUR COLLEAGUE'S ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING, CAPTURED BY ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION NEWS CAMERAS, WE GATHER THAT IT WAS ANOTHER VINTAGE MUDENGE PERFORMANCE. HIS ARROGANCE, HISTRIONICS, BLUSTER AND DISINGENUOUS HALF-TRUTHS COUCHED IN FLOWERY CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ9405 PAGE 01 HARARE 01082 02 OF 02 211531Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 WHA-00 DS-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SS-00 DPM-01 ASDS-01 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W -------------- D53613 211531Z /38 O 211529Z MAR 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8479 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AMEMBASSY NAIROBI AMEMBASSY OTTAWA C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 001082 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ZI ADCO SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER CONVOKES COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF MISSION FOR A HARANGUE ON THE CMAG STATEMENT ON ZIMBABWE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01082 02 OF 02 211531Z LANGUAGE ASIDE, THAT THE FOREIQN MINISTER FELT THE NEED TO SUMMON THE HEADS OF STATE TO EXPLAIN HIS POSITION FOLLOWINQ A COMMONWEALTH SLAP ON THE WRIST IS AN INDICATION OF THE DEEP NERVE IT TOUCHED. EXTERNAL PRESSURE ON ZIMBABWE IS REACHING A CRESCENDO AND EVEN ITS TRADITIONAL FRIENDS NO LONQER LOUDLY DEFEND IT. MUDENGE'S RESPONSE: TO CALL FOR DIALOQUE WITH THE COMMONWEALTH AND IMMEDIATELY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR IT TO TAKE PLACE. ALTHOUGH IN NORMAL COUNTRIES SUCH INEPT HANDLING OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD WOULD COST A FOREIQN MINISTER HIS JOB, IN THIS CASE WE PREDICT THAT THE GOZ WILL CONTINUE TO USE DEFIANT LANGUAGE, PORTRAYING ITSELF AS A VICTIM OF A BRITISH-LED CONSPIRACY AIMED AT TOPPLING THE MUGABE REGIME. IF THE GOZ CONTINUES TO REJECT ATTEMPTS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE IT IN CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE, WE ARE NOT SURE THAT IT HAS ANY OPTIONS LEFT FOR EXTRICATING ITSELF FROM ITS CURRENT PREDICAMENT. END COMMENT. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >