KABILA'S BRIEF VISIT TO ZIMBABWE FOCUSES ON DRC

1. (C) ON MARCH 28, POLOFF OBTAINED A READOUT ON DRC
PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA'S TWO-DAY VISIT TO HARARE FROM
THE MFA'S PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (PAO) ON THE
DRC, MAXWELL CHIKOROWONDO. REGARDING KABILA'S ADDRESS
TO PARLIAMENT (REFTEL), THE PAO NOTED THAT KABILA IS
"PREPARED TO GO THE FULL MILE FOR PEACE" IN THE DRC, BUT
CONTINUES TO INSIST THAT THE "AGGRESSOR STATES" WITHDRAW
FROM DRC TERRITORY BEFORE THE ALLIES DO. HE ALSO NOTED
KABILA'S STATEMENT THAT SADC'S DECISION TO SEND TROOPS
TO THE DRC WAS A UNANIMOUS ONE.



2. (C) CHIKOROWONDO REPORTED THAT KABILA HELD A "LONG"
ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE, BUT THAT HE
WAS NOT PRIVY TO WHAT WAS DISCUSSED. KABILA ALSO MET
WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER SWITHUN MOMBESHORA AND LANDS AND
AGRICULTURE MINISTER JOSEPH MADE (BUT NOT THE FULL
CABINET) TO DISCUSS "BILATERAL ISSUES IN THEIR
RESPECTIVE FIELDS." KABILA HELD A BREAKFAST MEETING
WITH "NEARLY EVERY PROMINENT ZIMBABWEAN BUSINESSMAN,"
ACCORDING TO THE MFA OFFICIAL. KABILA REPORTEDLY
ENCOURAGED ZIMBABWEAN INDUSTRY TO INCREASE ITS ALREADY
SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE DRC AND DISCUSSED WAYS IN
WHICH IT COULD HAPPEN.



3. (C) POLOFF ASKED CHIKOROWONDO TO COMMENT ON THE
PRESS ITEM QUOTING A MONUC REPORT THAT STATED THE ALLIED
FORCES HAD NOT BEGUN TO WITHDRAW FROM THE DRC FRONTLINES
AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO. CHIKOROWONDO STATED THAT THE
MONUC REPORT IN QUESTION WAS FROM THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF
THE DISENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT BEGAN IN MID-MARCH. THE
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REPORT HAS SINCE BEEN OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS AS THE ALLIED
FORCES ARE WITHDRAWING ON SCHEDULE, AND WILL COMPLETE
THEIR 15 KM PULLBACK IN KATANGA BY THE MARCH 29
DEADLINE, THE PAO ASSERTED. HE ALSO REMARKED THAT
INITIALLY THERE HAD BEEN SOME CONFUSION OVER THE
WITHDRAWAL OF FORCES FROM PWETO, BUT THAT HAS SINCE BEEN
RESOLVED. MONUC HAS YET TO CONFIRM THE PULLBACK OF
BEMBA'S FORCES IN EQUATEUR, PROBABLY BECAUSE BEMBA HAS
NOT YET GIVEN THE ORDER TO WITHDRAW, CHIKOROWONDO ADDED.



4. (C) COMMENT: KABILA'S VISIT TO ZIMBABWE APPEARED TO
HAVE HAD THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: 1) TO THANK ZIMBABWE FOR
ITS INTERVENTION IN THE DRC, 2) TO ASSUAGE ZIMBABWEAN
CONCERNS ABOUT ITS CONTINUED PARTICIPATION, AND MOST
IMPORTANT, 3) TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN
THE TWO COUNTRIES. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT KABILA WOULD
SPEND A LARGE BLOCK OF HIS LIMITED TIME HERE CONSULTING
WITH MINISTERS WITH EXTRACTIVE-SECTOR PORTFOLIOS AND THE
INDIGENOUS BUSINESS COMMUNITY. ACCORDING TO OUR
CONTACTS, THE CEO OF METROPOLITAN BANK, WHO IS ALSO A
MEMBER OF THE INDIGENOUS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, HOSTED
THE BREAKFAST MEETING. IT INVOLVED ONLY MEMBERS WITH
STRONG TIES TO ZANU-PF, AND NO MEMBERS OF THE WHITE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY ATTENDED. THESE MEETINGS, COUPLED
WITH THE OVER-THE-TOP RECEPTION OF PRESIDENT KABILA BY
PUTTING HIM ON THE SAME PLANE AS NELSON MANDELA,
UNDERSCORE THE GOZ'S MAIN PURPOSE FOR ITS COSTLY
INVOLVEMENT IN THE DRC. END COMMENT.

IRVING

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