1. (C) SUMMARY: RELATIONS BETWEEN ZIMBABWE AND SWEDEN
FELL TO AN ALL-TIME LOW DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF
FEBRUARY AS THE SWEDISH GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THAT IT
HAD SUSPENDED BILATERAL AID TO THE GOVERNMENT OF
ZIMBABWE. ZIMBABWEAN FOREIGN MINISTER STANISLAUS
MUDENGE RESPONDED ANGRILY, SAYING THAT HIS GOVERNMENT
WOULD REVIEW ITS RELATIONS WITH SWEDEN. THE
GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE, THROUGH AN ANONYMOUS
SPOKESMAN, ALSO IMPLIED THAT THE SWEDISH EMBASSY MIGHT
NO LONGER BE WELCOME IN ZIMBABWE. AT A LUNCHEON ON
FEBRUARY 7, SWEDEN'S AMBASSADOR TO ZIMBABWE, LENNARTH
HJELMAKER, CITED HIS GOVERNMENT'S WISH TO MAKE A
STRONG STATEMENT OF ITS CONCERN WITH EVENTS IN
ZIMBABWE, COUPLED WITH BAD TIMING, AS THE REASON FOR
THE CURRENT TENSION BETWEEN SWEDEN AND ZIMBABWE.
AMBASSADOR HJELMAKER DID NOT THINK THAT HE OR HIS
STAFF WERE IN IMMINENT DANGER OF BEING DECLARED
PERSONAE NON GRATA, BUT CONCEDED THAT HE WAS WORKING
HARD TO MANAGE THE DELICATE SITUATION. END SUMMARY.



2. (C) THE FEBRUARY 1 ANNOUNCEMENT IN STOCKHOLM THAT
THE GOVERNMENT OF SWEDEN WAS SUSPENDING BILATERAL
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PAGE 03 HARARE 00672 01 OF 02 081521Z
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE
DID NOT PLAY WELL IN HARARE. THE STATE-OWNED DAILY
NEWSPAPER "THE HERALD" DISTORTED THE FACTS OF THE
SWEDISH DECISION IN ITS FEBRUARY 2 STORY, CLAIMING
THAT "SWEDEN...HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS SLASHING AID
TO THE GOVERNMENT AND WILL CHANNEL ABOUT 400 MILLION
ZIMBABWE DOLLARS TOWARDS OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES
AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS." WHILE THIS IS
NOT TRUE (SWEDISH AID SUPPORTS HIV/AIDS PROGRAMS, NON-
PARTISAN DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS AND DISASTER RELIEF), IT
PROVIDED RIGHTEOUS HIGH GROUND FOR AN UNNAMED GOZ
SOURCE WHO WAS QUOTED IN THE "HERALD" REPORT. THE
SOURCE SAID "...EMBASSIES WITH NO BUSINESS WITH THE
GOVERNMENT AND INTENDING TO CONCENTRATE THEIR EFFORTS
ON BACKING OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES AND NON-
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, MEDDLING IN THE INTERNAL
POLITICS OF THE COUNTRY, HAVE NO REASON TO BE HERE...
THERE IS NO WAY THAT GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE KINDLY TO A
SITUATION WHERE AN EMBASSY BROUGHT INTO THE COUNTRY
FOR OFFICIAL STATE-TO-STATE INTERACTION IS ALLOWED TO
DE-OFFICIALIZE ITSELF AND BECOME CONDUITS OF FOREIGN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT TO BOTH THE OPPOSITION AND PARTISAN
NGOS CREATED BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENTS. THEY ARE
BECOMING FEATURES OF SUBVERSION AND EXPECT STATE
BENEDICTION. THIS CANNOT BE..."



3. (U) FOREIGN MINISTER STANISLAUS MUDENGE ALSO
REACTED ANGRILY AND PUBLICLY, APPEARING ON STATE-
CONTROLLED ZBC TELEVISION ON FEBRUARY 5 TO CRITICIZE
THE SWEDISH DECISION. MUDENGE SAID THAT HE WOULD
REVIEW ZIMBABWE'S RELATIONS WITH SWEDEN, IMPLYING THE
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PAGE 04 HARARE 00672 01 OF 02 081521Z
POSSIBILITY OF A DIPLOMATIC RUPTURE BETWEEN THE TWO
COUNTRIES.



4. (C) AT A LUNCHEON IN THE SWISS EMBASSY ON FEBRUARY 7,
AMBASSADOR HJELMAKER TOLD EMBOFF THAT PART OF THE
REASON FOR ZIMBABWE'S ANGER WAS THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT
OF THE AID SUSPENSION HAD BEEN BADLY HANDLED. HE SAID
THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WANTED TO MAKE A STRONG STATEMENT
ABOUT ITS CONCERN OVER ZIMBABWE'S DEPARTURE FROM
DEMOCRATIC NORMS, BUT THAT BAD TIMING IN STOCKHOLM AND
HARARE MEANT THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT TOOK ZIMBABWE'S
FOREIGN MINISTRY BY SURPRISE. HJELMAKER SAID THAT
ZIMBABWE'S AMBASSADOR TO SWEDEN HAD BEEN OUT OF THE
COUNTRY WHEN THE SWEDES DECIDED IN LATE JANUARY TO
SUSPEND BILATERAL AID. SWEDISH PROCEDURE IS THAT
GOVERNMENT DECISIONS ARE GAZETTED ON THE FIRST OF EACH
MONTH ("...JUST PART OF OUR OPEN DEMOCRACY..." SAID
HJELMAKER), SO THE DECISION WAS PUBLISHED BEFORE THE
ZIMBABWEAN AMBASSADOR COULD BE NOTIFIED. SIMILARLY,
FOREIGN MINISTER MUDENGE AND AMBASSADOR HJELMAKER WERE
BOTH ABSENT FROM HARARE DURING THE LAST WEEK OF
JANUARY, SO A SUBORDINATE AT THE SWEDISH EMBASSY ONLY
INFORMED THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (THROUGH WHICH ALL
BILATERAL ASSISTANCE IS CHANNELED) OF THE SUSPENSION.
THESE TWO CIRCUMSTANCES MEANT THAT THE ZIMBABWEAN

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CONFIDENTIAL PTO6270

PAGE 01 HARARE 00672 02 OF 02 081521Z
ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 USNW-00
DINT-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00
EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01
OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00
STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02
G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W


--------------------------

C2E945 081521Z /38
P 081523Z FEB 01
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8194
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
AMEMBASSY LONDON
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000672

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR GURNEY

PARIS FOR WILLIAMS

STOCKHOLM FOR MILOVANOVICH

PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA C. PALMA
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 HARARE 00672 02 OF 02 081521Z

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/11
TAGS: PREL EAID PHUM KDEM PINR ZI SW
SUBJECT: SWEDISH AMBASSADOR EXPLAINS SWEDEN'S AID
CUTBACK TO ZIMBABWE

FOREIGN MINISTRY WAS CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED BY THE SWEDISH
ANNOUNCEMENT. HJELMAKER TOLD EMBOFF THAT MUDENGE WAS
INFURIATED, AND EXCORIATED THE AMBASSADOR FOR THIS
BREACH OF PROTOCOL.



5. (C) THE SWEDES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY STALWART
SUPPORTERS OF ROBERT MUGABE'S ZIMBABWE AND VERY GENEROUS
PROVIDERS OF DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE. GIVEN THAT
HISTORY, THEIR DECISION TO SUSPEND FUNDING OF GOVERNMENT
PROGRAMS HERE REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT DEEPENING OF
ZIMBABWE'S ISOLATION FROM WESTERN DEMOCRACIES. SWEDEN'S
LACK OF A COLONIAL HISTORY IN AFRICA, OR OF OTHER
IMPERIALISTIC CREDENTIALS, MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR
THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE TO DISMISS THE SUSPENSION OF
AID AS PART OF THE "BRITISH-IMPERIALIST PLOT" TO RUIN
ZIMBABWE. NONETHELESS, THE UNNAMED GOZ SOURCE DID TELL
"THE HERALD" THAT "THE SWEDES ARE NOW INCREASINGLY
REDUCING THEMSELVES TO AN APPENDAGE OF WHITEHALL."



6. (C) COMMENT: BECAUSE OF THEIR LONG HISTORY OF
SUPPORT FOR ZIMBABWE AND THEIR TRADITION OF
NEUTRALITY, THE SWEDES ARE UNLIKELY TO BE THROWN OUT
OF ZIMBABWE. THIS EPISODE DOES, HOWEVER, SUGGEST THE
NEED FOR CAREFULLY CHOREOGRAPHED NOTIFICATION IF THE
UNITED STATES EVER NEEDS TO DELIVER BAD NEWS TO THE
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PAGE 03 HARARE 00672 02 OF 02 081521Z
GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE. END COMMENT.

IRVING

CONFIDENTIAL

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