ZIMBABWE: MNANGAGWA EXPOUNDS ON DRC MATTERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001730

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/11
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ZI CG RW UG AO
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: MNANGAGWA EXPOUNDS ON DRC MATTERS
WITH VISITING INR OFFICIAL

REF: HARARE 1572

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CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) IN A MAY 22 MEETING WITH VISITING INR POLITICAL-
MILITARY AFFAIRS SPECIALIST STEVE WEIGERT, SPEAKER OF
PARLIAMENT AND ZANU-PF SECRETARY OF ADMINISTRATION
EMMERSON MNANGAGWA EXPOUNDED ON RECENT EVENTS IN THE
DRC, AND TOUCHED ON LAND REFORM ISSUES, WAR VETERANS,
AND PROSPECTS FOR THE MDC. POLOFF ACCOMPANIED WEIGERT,
AND MNANGAGWA WAS JOINED BY HIS DEPUTY SECRETARY OF
ADMINISTRATION, WITNESS MANGWENDE, AND ADMINISTRATION
DIRECTOR FRED SHAVA IN HIS ZANU-PF HEADQUARTERS OFFICE.


2. (C) MNANGAGWA, WHO OVERSEES ZANU-PF'S SUBSTANTIAL
BUSINESS INTERESTS IN THE DRC, SAID ZIMBABWE'S
WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM THAT COUNTRY WAS CONTINUING.
HE WAS SATISFIED WITH MONUC'S DEPLOYMENT OF OBSERVERS
AND PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD BE A COMPLETE RETURN TO
PEACE BY NEXT YEAR. THE SPEAKER NOTED AMUSEDLY THAT IN
RWANDAN PRESIDENT KAGAME'S MAY 7 VISIT TO HARARE
(REFTEL),THE LATTER APPEARED TO BE TRYING TO BUILD A
BRIDGE TO ZIMBABWE, SUGGESTING A RWANDAN INTEREST IN
JOINING SADC. MNANGAGWA CLAIMED KAGAME WAS MAKING
CONTINGENCY PLANS IN THE EVENT THAT UGANDA/RWANDA
RELATIONS DETERIORATED FURTHER AND UGANDA INVADED
RWANDA. SADC MEMBERSHIP WOULD PRESUMABLY PERMIT KIGALI
TO CALL FOR REGIONAL MILITARY SUPPORT. ON THE ISSUE OF
POSSIBLE ZIMBABWE/ANGOLA DIFFERENCES IN THE DRC,
MNANGAGWA STATED THAT ANGOLA'S INTERESTS IN THE DRC WERE
SPECIAL AND COMPLICATED AND CLAIMED THAT UNITA BASES IN
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THE DRC WERE A REMAINING CONCERN, EVEN THOUGH THE UNITA
ISSUE WAS NOT A PART OF THE LUSAKA AGREEMENT. MNANGAGWA
ALSO MADE A PASSING REFERENCE TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF PEACE
TALKS AND EVENTUAL ELECTIONS IN ANGOLA, ALTHOUGH HE
SUGGESTED THIS WAS NOT A NEAR-TERM DEVELOPMENT.


3. (C) ON THE LAND REFORM ISSUE, MNANGAGWA DELVED INTO
THE TIRED HISTRIONICS OF LAND OWNERSHIP IN ZIMBABWE,
ESPOUSING THE GOVERNMENT POSITION VERBATIM. ON THE
QUESTION OF WAR VETERANS, THE SPEAKER EXPLAINED WITH
SOME TESTINESS THAT MANY EMPLOYEES HAD ASKED THEM TO
RESOLVE LONG-OUTSTANDING DISPUTES THAT THE ZCTU HAD
NEGLECTED, BUT A FEW ROGUE ELEMENTS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF
THE SITUATION BY INTIMIDATING AND KIDNAPPING PEOPLE, AND
THEY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO BOOK. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE
MDC'S PROSPECTS, MNANGAGWA ACKNOWLEDGED, WITHOUT RANCOR,
THAT THE MDC WOULD CONTINUE TO DO WELL IN URBAN
ELECTIONS, AND INTIMATED THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO BE A
FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.


4. (C) COMMENT: MNANGAGWA WAS CORDIAL AND, FOR THE MOST
PART, REASONED IN HIS RESPONSES. HE APPEARS TO BE ON A
CHARM OFFENSIVE WITH THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS IN AN ATTEMPT
TO SOFTEN HIS GOVERNMENT'S, AND HIS OWN, IMAGE. HE
CONVENED THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS LAST WEEK TO CALL
ATTENTION TO PARLIAMENTARY REFORMS. IN A MEETING
BETWEEN SHAVA AND POLOFF ON MAY 18, SHAVA OFFERED TO
ARRANGE THE MEETING WITH MNANGAGWA, AND THE SPEAKER
AGREED. THIS CORE ZANU-PF CADRE APPEARED GENUINELY
PLEASED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO AMERICANS, AND
REFRAINED FROM THE INVECTIVE THAT HAS CHARACTERIZED OUR
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RECENT MEETINGS WITH GOZ OFFICIALS. END COMMENT.

IRVING

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