ZIMBABWE FOREIGN MINISTER THREATENS STATE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001259 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR ZI SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE FOREIGN MINISTER THREATENS STATE OF EMERGENCY IF SANCTIONS COME TO PASS CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01259 060935Z ¶1. (U) FOREIGN MINISTER STANISLAUS MUDENGE, IN AN ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT ON APRIL 4, THREATENED THAT THE GOZ COULD DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY IF INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON ZIMBABWE, ACCORDING TO BOTH OF HARARE'S DAILY NEWSPAPERS ON APRIL 6. MUDENGE REPORTEDLY STATED THAT "IN MOST CASES, DUE TO THE DEMANDS FOR NATIONAL SURVIVAL, COUNTRIES UNDER SANCTIONS USUALLY RESORT TO DECLARING STATES OF EMERGENCY. I DO NOT SAY ZIMBABWE WILL NECESSARILY FOLLOW THIS EXAMPLE BY DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY, BUT ONE CANNOT RULE IT OUT." THE FOREIGN MINISTER WENT ON TO SAY THAT RULE BY DECREE "NEITHER PROMOTES DEMOCRACY NOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN ZIMBABWE, THE PURPORTED OBJECTIVES OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL BEFORE THE USA SENATE." ¶2. (C) COMMENT: IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT SPARKED THIS OUTBURST BY THE FOREIGN MINISTER, WHO RARELY SPEAKS IN PARLIAMENT. HIS REMARKS, HOWEVER, REFLECT FRUSTRATION AT ZIMBABWE'S GROWING ISOLATION AND AT THE MOVES BY SOME -- INCLUDING THE U.S. CONGRESS, THE COMMONWEALTH, AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT -- TO TURN UP THE HEAT ON THE MUGABE REGIME. MUDENGE, ONE OF THE REGIME'S MORE HARD- LINE FIGURES, IS KNOWN FOR MAKING BLUSTERY STATEMENTS THAT REFLECT THE GOVERNMENT'S GROWING DESPERATION. WE SUSPECT WE WILL HEAR A LOT MORE NOISE IN THIS CONNECTION AND ALREADY HAVE SEEN SOME HAM-HANDED ATTEMPTS BY GOVERNMENT TO ABRIDGE CONSTITUTIONALLY-GUARANTEED FREEDOMS. WE ALSO HAVE HEARD THIS SORT OF TALK BEFORE. THE DIFFERENCE THIS TIME IS THAT MUDENGE WENT STRAIGHT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 01259 060935Z TO A PUBLIC FORUM TO LEVEL HIS THREAT. END COMMENT. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >