TFUSO1: MEDIA REACTION TERROR ATTACKS IN THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002716 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: TFUSO1: MEDIA REACTION TERROR ATTACKS IN THE U.S.; HARARE ¶1. SEPTEMBER 14 EDITORIALS IN THE ZIMBABWEAN PRINT MEDIA FOCUS ON THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE U. S. THE NEWSPAPERS ALSO CARRY LENGTHY OPINION PIECES ABOUT THE DISASTER. EXCERPTS FOLLOW: ¶2. UNDER HEADLINE "TERROR, VIOLENCE WON'T END WORLD'S CONFLICTS," THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE DAILY NEWS" COMMENTS: "TUESDAY'S ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK AND THE PENTAGON IN WASHINGTON MUST HAVE INDUCED IN MOST ZIMBABWEANS A SENSE OF GENUINE HORROR, OUTRAGE AND A CERTAIN HELPLESSNESS. WHATEVER POLITICAL DIFFERENCES THE MASTERS OF THE PERPETRATORS OF THE SAVAGE ATTACKS HAD WITH THE UNITED STATES ADMINISTRATION COULD NEVER JUSTIFY THE COLD-BLOODED MURDER OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS GOING ABOUT THEIR DAILY BUSINESS IN A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY. . . THE ¶U. S. GOVERNMENT HAS NOT ALWAYS ACQUITTED ITSELF WELL AS WHAT ITS ENEMIES HAVE CALLED 'THE WORLD POLICEMAN.' THERE HAVE BEEN MISTAKES AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE RESORTED TO VIOLENCE AGAINST UNCLE SAM HAVE NOT BEEN FOREIGNERS, LIKE THE SAUDI DISSIDENT, OSAMA BIN LADEN, THE NUMBER ONE SUSPECT IN THE LATEST OUTRAGE. THE OKLAHOMA BOMBING IN 1995 WAS INITIALLY BLAMED ON ARAB TERRORISTS, UNTIL IT TRANSPIRED THAT THIS WAS A HOME-GROWN ATROCITY. . . IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SUCCESSIVE U. S. ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE GRAPPLED IN VAIN WITH THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO COMBATANTS, THE ARABS AND THE JEWS. . . SOME OF WASHINGTON'S UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 02716 01 OF 02 170541Z PRESCRIPTIONS HAVE BEEN SO NAVE THEY HAVE NOT HELPED TO COOL TEMPERS IN JERUSALEM OR THE WEST BANK. BUT GEORGE W. BUSH'S 'HANDS OFF' POLICY HAS PROBABLY MADE PEACE MORE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. YET THAT IS STILL NOT A GOOD REASON TO BLOW UP BUILDINGS AND KILL THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE - IF IT IS PROVED THIS OUTRAGE WAS SPURRED BY ARABS INCENSED BY THE ADMINISTRATION'S PERCEIVED PRO-ISRAELI BIAS. FOR THE WORLD, THE LATEST DISPLAY OF HUMANKIND'S OWN INHUMANITY TO HUMANKIND MUST REMIND PEOPLE THAT TERROR AND VIOLENCE MAY HAVE ONLY SHORT-TERM ADVANTAGES, BUT IN THE END THEY WILL NOT SOLVE CONFLICTS. THE UNITED STATES WILL 
 SURVIVE TUESDAY'S HORROR. . . THE PEOPLE WHO SENT THE SUICIDE PILOTS HURTLING INTO THE TWIN TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND THE PENTAGON MOST CERTAINLY DESERVE SEVERE PUNISHMENT, AS DO THE COUNTRIES WHICH AIDED AND ABETTED THEM. BUT IF THE RETALIATION CAUSES THE SAME MASSIVE LOSS OF CIVILIAN LIFE THAT WAS WITNESSED ON TUESDAY, THEN THE WORLD WILL NOT HAVE LEARNT ANYTHING FROM THE UNBRIDLED USE OF POWER. . . RESTRAINT IS CALLED FOR AS ANY EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE MIGHT TURN SYMPATHY INTO THE SAME OUTRAGE THAT GREETED TUESDAY'S INSANITY." ¶3. UNDER HEADLINE "U. S. REACTION TO ATTACK WELCOME," THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "THE HERALD" COMMENTS: "TUESDAY'S ATTACK ON THE U. S. HAS GALVANIZED THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HARARE 02716 01 OF 02 170541Z WORLD TO COPE WITH A NEW THREAT: THE ABILITY OF A SMALL WELL-ORGANIZED GROUP OF FANATICS TO KILL THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE WITH A SINGLE BLOW. . . IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND HOW SUCH A SMALL GROUP - AND THE U. S. FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION HAS ESTIMATED THAT THERE WERE AROUND A DOZEN SUICIDAL HIJACKERS BACKED BY ABOUT 50 OTHERS - COULD HAVE MURDERED SO MANY. THE U. S. HAS NOT - AS SOME MAY HAVE EXPECTED - LASHED OUT WITH MILITARY FORCE AT VAGUE SUSPECTS FOR THE MURDERS. INSTEAD IT HAD CONCENTRATED A MAJOR DIPLOMATIC EFFORT ON CREATING A VAST COALITION FOR A MAJOR WAR ON INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM THAT WILL INVOLVE THE POLICE, INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY AGENCIES IN MANY COUNTRIES. THIS IS WELCOME. . .THE WORLD IS DANGEROUS ENOUGH WITH SOVEREIGN STATES ABLE TO WAGE WAR. BUT IT BECOMES FAR MORE DANGEROUS WHEN ANY SMALL GROUP OF FANATICS CAN MURDER THOUSANDS IN NEAR ANONYMITY AND WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE TO NO ONE. THE U. S. SECRETARY OF UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ7421 PAGE 01 HARARE 02716 02 OF 02 170541Z ACTION SS-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W -------------- 2024D6 170541Z /38 P 170524Z SEP 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9721 INFO NSC WASHDC AMEMBASSY PRETORIA AMEMBASSY LUSAKA AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK AMEMBASSY GABORONE AMEMBASSY LILONGWE AMEMBASSY LONDON UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 002716 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: TFUSO1: MEDIA REACTION TERROR ATTACKS IN THE U.S.; HARARE STATE, RETIRED GEN. COLIN POWELL, A FAR MORE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HARARE 02716 02 OF 02 170541Z SOPHISTICATED PERSON THAN MOST OF THOSE ADVISING PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ON FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICY. . .HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT THERE IS NO QUICK FIX. A SINGLE BOMBING RAID WILL NEITHER BE AN EFFECTIVE NOR CORRECT RESPONSE. HE FORESEES, PROBABLY CORRECTLY, THAT THE RESPONSE MUST HAVE DIPLOMATIC AND POLITICAL ELEMENTS AS WELL AS POTENTIAL MILITARY ACTIONS. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN A WELCOME APPEAL FROM THOSE AT THE TOP OF THE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP TO ESCHEW HATRED OF ARABS AND MUSLIMS. . . SO LONG AS ALL IN AUTHORITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE MAJOR POWERS ABLE TO PROJECT DIPLOMATIC AND MILITARY MIGHT FAR BEYOND THEIR FRONTIERS, CONTINUE TO BEHAVE RATIONALLY THEN THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT THIS BOMBING WILL ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGAINST CRIMINAL GROUPS. . . ." ¶4. THE SAME NEWSPAPER ALSO CARRIED AN OPINION PIECE AUTHORED BY TIM CHIGODO ON PAGE 11 UNDER HEADLINE "U. S. TERRORIST ATTACKS: TRAGEDY FOR ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY." EXCERPTS: "THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE U. S. ON TUESDAY. . .HAVE DEVASTATED THE WHOLE WORLD AND SHOULD BE CONDEMNED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. THE UNPRECEDENTED ATTACKS HAVE WIDE IMPLICATIONS AND ARE A DEVELOPMENT WHICH NEEDS QUICK ACTION. ALL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD STAND UP AND CONDEMN ALL FORMS OF TERRORISM. . . AS THE WORLD MOURNS WITH RELATIVES OF PEOPLE WHO DIED IN THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 02716 02 OF 02 170541Z ATTACKS ON TUESDAY, OTHER STATES SHOULD ACCEPT THAT THE TRAGEDY IS NOT FOR AMERICANS ONLY BUT FOR THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. . . THE TUESDAY ATTACKS SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A POINTER TO THE 21ST CENTURY IN WHICH ORTHODOX WAR BETWEEN STATES IS REPLACED BY PROXY TERRORIST ATTACKS THAT KILL INDISCRIMINATELY. . ." ¶5. UNDER HEADLINE "A DAY IN INFAMY," IDEN WETHERELL, EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY "ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT," WROTE THE FOLLOWING PIECE UNDER THE "EDITOR'S MEMO" COLUMN IN THE SEPTEMBER 14 EDITION: ". . .I WATCHED NUMBLY THE SHOCKING PICTURES BEAMED FROM NEW YORK. . . IT WAS A TERRIBLE, UNFORGETTABLE SIGHT MADE WORSE BY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT VICTIMS WERE CAUGHT INSIDE. . . WE SHALL SOON KNOW WHICH FANATICS SENT THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE TO THEIR DEATHS. AND HOPEFULLY JUDGEMENT WILL BE QUICK IN COMING. TERRORISTS EVERYWHERE DESERVE THE SAME ROBUST RESPONSE BY SOCIETY. NO DOUBT THERE WILL BE THE USUAL APOLOGISTS FOR EXTREMISM WHO ARGUE THAT THESE EVENTS AND THE ATTACK ON THE PENTAGON WERE RETRIBUTION FOR U. S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL - THE SAME PEOPLE WHO BRANDED ISRAEL A RACIST STATE IN DURBAN WHEN IT WAS THE ONLY COUNTRY TO TAKE IN AFRICAN REFUGEES IN THE 1980S. BUT WHATEVER HAPPENS, THE U. S. WILL BE SCARRED BY THE EVENTS OF TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 IS SURELY A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY. AND THE WORLD WILL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HARARE 02716 02 OF 02 170541Z NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN AS THE BATTLE WITH INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS INTENSIFIES. . . OUR THOUGHTS WILL BE WITH THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES THIS WEEK. . ." ROTH UNCLASSIFIED >