MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 002334 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL; HARARE ¶1. EDITORIALS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA FOCUS ON THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL 2001. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HARARE 02334 061224Z EXCERPTS FOLLOW: ¶2. UNDER HEADLINE "THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL: WHAT IT COULD MEAN," THE AUGUST 6 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY 'THE DAILY NEWS' COMMENTS: "IT WOULD BE UNDERSTANDABLE FOR MANY ZANU PF POLITICIANS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO DISMISS THE UNITED STATES' SENATE APPROVAL OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND (ECONOMIC) RECOVERY BILL LAST WEEK. THIS IS EVEN MORE SO IF ANY OF THEM BELIEVE THE OFFHAND DISMISSAL OF THE BILL BY THE ZIMBABWEAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U. S., SIMBI MUBAKO. . .WHATEVER THE ATTITUDE OF THE POLITICIANS AND DIPLOMATS OF MUBAKO'S COMPLACENCY, THE FACT REMAINS THAT IF THE BILL IS PASSED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NEXT MONTH AND IS SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNED INTO LAW BY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, ZIMBABWE WILL BE WALKING AN EVEN TIGHTER ECONOMIC ROPE THAN BEFORE. . .ZIMBABWE WILL BE TREATED BY THE U. S. GOVERNMENT LIKE THE ECONOMIC LEPER THAT THE ILLEGAL REGIME OF IAN SMITH WAS DURING THE 15 YEARS OF UDI. . .THE SANCTIONS WON'T BE AS DRACONIAN AS THOSE IMPOSED ON THE SMITH REGIME, BUT THEIR OVERALL EFFECT WILL BE THE FURTHER ECONOMIC ISOLATION OF ZIMBABWE. . . ." ¶3. UNDER HEADLINE "RESILIENT ZIMBABWE WILL BREAK U. S. STRANGLEHOLD," THE AUGUST 5 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED WEEKLY 'THE SUNDAY MAIL' COMMENTS: UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 02334 061224Z "SO, AS EXPECTED THE U. S. SENATE HAS JUST PASSED THE CONTROVERSIAL ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL WHICH SEEKS TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON ZIMBABWE. . .WHATEVER MIGHT BE SAID WE KNOW THE REASON FOR THIS BILL IS A DESPERATE BUT FUTILE ATTEMPT TO THWART THE THIRD CHIMURENGA, WHICH WANTS TO DEAL WITH THE LAND DISTRIBUTION ANOMALIES ONCE AND FOR ALL. THE CHRISTENING OF THE BILL 'DEMOCRACY' IS RATHER ABSURD. . .ONE THEN ASKS WHY THERE IS THIS RELENTLESS PRESSURE BY THE RIGHT-WING ELEMENT IN THE U. S. TO DESTABILIZE THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT WHILE NOTHING IS SAID ABOUT THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT OF BURUNDI AND RWANDA. INDEED WHEN IT COMES TO THE PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY INTERNATIONALLY THE U. S. IS AS GUILTY AS SIN. . .ZIMBABWEANS HAVE BEEN TRIED AND TESTED BEFORE AS THE FIRST AND SECOND CHIMURENGA CAN TESTIFY. SANCTIONS WILL, IN FACT, INVOKE THAT SPIRIT OF NATIONALISM AND UNITE THE COUNTRY IN THEIR BID TO PRESERVE THEIR HARD-WON INDEPENDENCE. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THIRD CHIMURENGA AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH JESSE HELMS AND THE U. S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE MIGHT TRY TO DERAIL THIS COURSE, THEY ARE DOOMED TO FAIL. FOR THEM AND THEIR BLACK PROXIES IN ZIMBABWE TO POSTULATE THE USHERING IN OF A PUPPET REGIME THROUGH SANCTIONS IS A MONUMENTAL MISCALCULATION. . .