UNDP TEAM FINDS LITTLE TO APPLAUD IN ABUJA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 003612 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EX, HR/OE NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER USDOC FOR 2037 JDIEMOND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 03612 01 OF 02 031909Z NAIROBI PASS TO ASSISTANT SECRETARY WKANSTEINER LONDON FOR CGURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY PRETORIA FOR AG ATTACHE PASS USTR - ROSA WHITAKER TREASURY FOR ED BARBER AND C. WILKINSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2011 TAGS: ECON EAGR PGOV ZI SUBJECT: UNDP TEAM FINDS LITTLE TO APPLAUD IN ABUJA COMPLIANCE REVIEW REF: HARARE 3518 CLASSIFIED BY JOSEPH G. SULLIVAN FOR REASONS 1.5 B/D ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: THE UNDP-LED MISSION TO EVALUATE COMPLIANCE WITH, AND SUGGEST WAYS FORWARD ON THE ABUJA ACCORD ON LAND REFORM HAS FOUND MOSTLY FRUSTRATIONS AND ONLY OCCASIONAL BRIGHT SPOTS DURING THEIR EXTENDED MISSION IN ZIMBABWE. PATTERNS VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT THE DISRUPTION PROVOKED BY LACK OF CLEAR DIRECTION IS CAUSING WIDESPREAD DIFFICULTIES IN PLANTINGS FOR BOTH ORIGINAL FARMERS AND FOR NEW SETTLERS. SOME GOZ MINISTERS HAVE SOUGHT TO BULLY THE UNDP-LED MISSION INTO ACCEPTING THE CHAOTIC PROCESS, BUT THE TEAM SEEMS FIXED ON PRESENTING AN HONEST, IF NON- CONFRONTATIONAL REPORT. THE GOZ IS SUPPOSED TO SEND A DELEGATION TO NY IN ANOTHER WEEK TO MEET WITH MARK MALLOCH BROWN AND SEE WHAT FOLLOW-UP CAN BE GIVEN TO TEAM RECOMMENDATIONS. MOST UNDP-LED TEAM MEMBERS SEE LITTLE PROSPECT FOR PROGRESS UNTIL AFTER ZIMBABWE'S ELECTIONS, BUT THEY WISH TO KEEP THE DOOR OPEN FOR FUTURE ENGAGEMENT BY PRESENTING A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STEPS. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) DURING A NOVEMBER 29 LUNCHEON WITH THE UNDP-LED TEAM, KEY GOZ MINISTERS AND SOME POTENTIAL DONORS, EXCLUDING THE UK, THE AMBASSADOR HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOUND OUT PROGRESS OF THE PROLONGED MISSION. TEAM LEADER ABDULLAH JANNE TOLD US THAT THE TEAM HAD FOUND MANY PROBLEMS AND ONLY A FEW BRIGHT SPOTS. HE SAID THE TEAM HAD TRAVELLED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND HAD WIDE- RANGING CONVERSATIONS TO EVALUATE THE STATE OF THE ABUJA AGREEMENT ON LAND AND PROSPECTS FOR INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT ON LAND REFORM. JANNE SAID THE TEAM WOULD DEPART THE MIDDLE OF DEC 2 WEEK AND ISSUE A REPORT OF OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WOULD IDENTIFY POSITIVE AREAS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON AND PROBLEMS WHICH NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED. A GOZ TEAM LED BY AGRICULTURE MINISTER MADE WOULD THEN TRAVEL TO NY FOR ENGAGMENT WITH THE UNDP. ¶3. (C) OTHER TEAM MEMBERS, INCLUDING WORLD BANK, IMF AND 
EU REPRESENTATIVES, TOLD US THAT THE PROGRESS OF GOVERNMENT LAND REFORM EFFORTS VARIED WIDELY WITH THE ABSENCE OF CLEAR RULES AND DISRUPTION OF PRODUCTION MOST PREVALENT. A POSITIVE EXCEPTION WAS MIDLANDS PROVINCE WHERE THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR, SENIOR GOVERNMENT MINISTERS COMMERCIAL FARMERS AND SETTLERS ALL WORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO OVERCOME MOST PROBLEMS THAT HAVE EMERGED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAND REDISTRIBUTION. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 03612 01 OF 02 031909Z AS A RESULT, IN MIDLANDS TILLING IS PROCEEDING ON BOTH COMMERCIAL AND SETTLED FARMS. TEAM MEMBERS GAINED THE IMPRESSION OF CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE AGRICULTURE MINISTER'S RECENT DECLARATION OF LOW LIMITS ON MAXIMUM FARM SIZE TO BE ENFORCED BY GOVERNMENT LAND ACQUISITION WOULD NEVER BE APPROVED BY THE PARLIAMENT. ¶4. (C) AT THE NOV 29 LUNCHEON, AGRICULTURE MINISTER MADE WAS HIS USUALLY AGGRESSIVE SELF TOWARD TEAM LEADER JANNE IN FRONT OF A TABLE OF ABOUT EIGHT OTHER TEAM MEMBERS AND DONORS. MADE ACCUSED JANNE'S TEAM OF ASKING INTRUSIVE QUESTIONS IN THEIR FARM VISITS WHICH SHOWED LACK OF RESPECT FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S REPORT OF THE STATUS OF THE RESETTLEMENT PROCESS. JANNE, A NATIVE OF SIERRA LEONE, KEPT HIS COOL, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT UNSYG KOFI ANNAN WAS VERY UPSET WITH GOZ TREATMENT OF HIS MISSION. ¶5. (C) THE AMBASSADOR WAS SEATED AT A TABLE WITH MINISTER OLIVA MUCHENA, WHO WORKS ON LAND ISSUES WITH VICE PRESIDENT MSIKA. MUCHENA, WHO HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE COOPERATIVE LAND REFORM INITIATIVE, ZJIRI, SAID SHE WAS WORKING HARD WITH THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE ZJIRI INITIATIVE TO CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ1197 PAGE 01 HARARE 03612 02 OF 02 031454Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 CTME-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00 WHA-00 PERC-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 EXIM-01 E-00 FAAE-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PC-01 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 STR-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /012W -------------- 46427F 031454Z /38 P 031402Z DEC 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0456 INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY NSC WASHDC DEPT TREAS WASHDC USDOC WASHDC AMEMBASSY NAIROBI AMEMBASSY ABUJA AMEMBASSY OTTAWA AMEMBASSY CANBERRA C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 003612 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EX, HR/OE NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER USDOC FOR 2037 JDIEMOND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 03612 02 OF 02 031454Z NAIROBI PASS TO ASSISTANT SECRETARY WKANSTEINER LONDON FOR CGURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY PRETORIA FOR AG ATTACHE PASS USTR - ROSA WHITAKER TREASURY FOR ED BARBER AND C. WILKINSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2011 TAGS: ECON EAGR PGOV ZI SUBJECT: UNDP TEAM FINDS LITTLE TO APPLAUD IN ABUJA COMPLIANCE REVIEW KEEP IT ALIVE, DESPITE THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS' DISCONTENT WITH OTHER ASPECTS OF THE LAND REFORM PROCESS. BUT IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS FROM HER TABLE MATES, MUCHENA SEEMED TO PUT MASSIVE LAND DISTRIBUTION AHEAD OF ALL OTHER GOALS. SHE INCLUDED NORTH KOREA AND UGANDA AS VALID MODELS FOR ZIMBABWEAN LAND REFORM, SAID SHE WISHED TO ACHIEVE BOTH MASSIVE LAND REDISTRIBUTION AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTIVITY, BUT WAS PREPARED FOR ZIMBABWE TO MAKE ITS OWN MISTAKES TO ACHIEVE ITS REDISTRIBUTION OBJECTIVES. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: THE UNDP HAS AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION, BUT ITS REPORT ON THE FINDINGS OF ITS THREE-WEEK MISSION WILL PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT AND IMPARTIAL REFERENCE POINT FOR ALL ON THE STATUS AND EFFECTS OF THE GOVERNMENT LAND REDISTRIBUTION ACTIVITIES AND THE STATUS OF COMPLIANCE ON ABUJA ACCORD COMMITMENTS. END COMMENT. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 03612 02 OF 02 031454Z SULLIVAN CONFIDENTIAL >