UNSC APRIL 29 VISIT: MUGABE LINKS ZIMBABWE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001041 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2012 TAGS: PREL ZI CG SUBJECT: UNSC APRIL 29 VISIT: MUGABE LINKS ZIMBABWE WITHDRAWAL TO UN PEACEKEEPERS AND OBJECTS TO US MESSAGE ON ZIMBABWE REF: STATE 79332 Classified By: JOSEPH G. SULLIVAN FOR REASONS 1.5B/D ¶1. (C) Summary: The UNSC delegation met with President Mugabe April 29 for about 70 minutes. Mugabe linked withdrawal of all Zimbabwean forces to insertion of a large number of UN peace enforcers with a robust mandate. He dismissed Mbeki's DRC proposal as stripping President Kabila's authority. Mugabe said he hoped that the Congolese could come up with a solution, but if they did not,then Lusaka signatories should reconvene to discuss the matter. Following discussion of DRC issues, Ambassador Williamson spoke in his national capacity and delivered reftel talking points verbatim. Mugabe reacted strongly for some ten minutes, stating that Westerners had no business lecturing Africans, that Africans and blacks had accepted the election outcome and that he had accepted the US election result, although he believed Gore had won. Mugabe said that the US intervention had "ruined" the meeting. The Chinese Permrep then intervened to disassociate himself from the American statement and to note that his Government accepted the election's legitimacy. End Summary ¶2. (c) The UNSC delegation headed by French Permrep Levitte and including US Ambassador Williamson and Mr.Imbrie met for about 70 minutes with President Mugabe on the evening of April 29. Mugabe supported President Kabila and claimed that President Mbeki's proposal for shared power would have made Kabila a eunuch. While he claimed to quote President Kagame as saying that the RCD-Goma existed as his "tool", Mugabe was not especially critical of Rwanda. To UK worries that the Kabila-Bemba agreement could lead to partition of the Congo, Mugabe did not share those concerns and felt certain that Kabila could deal with "negative forces." Mugabe hoped that the Congolese parties could find a solution, but if they could not, then the Lusaka signatories would meet again to discuss the matter. Mugabe also mentioned the possibility of joint border patrols made up of Rwandan and Congolese forces to address Rwandan security concerns. ¶3. (c) Mugabe claimed that Zimbabwe had already withdrawn a large percentage of its forces and would be prepared to withdraw all its forces. But he said it would be necessary to insert UN peacekeepers -- "peace enforcers" -- with a robust mandate and in substantial numbers compared to the 3,000 or so that could secure peace in a small country like Zimbabwe. ¶4. (c) At the conclusion of the discussion on the DRC, Ambassador Williamson said that he wished to make several separate points on behalf of his government and delivered the talking points provided reftel. Mugabe responded for ten minutes in a tone of controlled fury, making many of his usual points: that he believed Gore had won the US elections, but he accepted Bush as President; that blacks were treated worse in the US; that Zimbabwean farmers had supported the opposition, while the GOZ was on the side of the people; that the West refused to accept re-distribution of land; that the West had no business lecturing Africa; that Africa and blacks had accepted the Zimbabwean election results; and that even if the US makes Zimbabwe poor, the people are ready to withstand the pressure. Mugabe said that the American intervention had ruined the atmosphere of the discussion on the DRC. The Chinese permrep then spoke to disassociate his government from the American position, stating that China accepted the election's legitimacy. ¶5. (u) Press coverage of visit focused mostly on Mugabe's call for UN peacekeeping presence in DRC. ¶6. (u) This message was not cleared by Ambassador Williamson prior to the dele