MEDIA REPORT "ZIM WITHDRAWAL FROM DRC;" HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 001880 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, INR/R/MR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KMDR KPAO ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT "ZIM WITHDRAWAL FROM DRC;" HARARE ¶1. Under headline "Zim withdrawal from DRC" the independent weekly "The Sunday Mirror" dedicated its August 14 editorial to welcoming the withdrawal of Zimbabwean troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "Now that peace is possible in the DRC, the U. N. Security Council should be more pro-active and speed up the peace process," the editorial directed. Excerpts: ¶2. "The announcement by President Mugabe that Zimbabwean troops would soon withdraw from the DRC should be welcome news, not only for the soldiers and their families, but also for those who never wanted to see Zimbabwean troops in the DRC in the first place. There are also those who have not positively contributed to the DRC peace process, citing the presence of foreign troops as their reason for not participating. The U. N. Security Council troops have not been effectively deployed, mainly because the U. S. A. did not wish U. N. troops to be deployed side by side with Zimbabwean forces. Ironically, as it turned out, those U. ¶N. troops who were put in positions felt much safer and were able to discharge their duties more effectively in areas where Zimbabwean troops were deployed. . .Now, the DRC conflict is about to end, the security concerns of the invaders are being addressed, and the Zimbabwean troops are moving out. It is now hoped that the tradition of standing together in time of need extends to the rest of Africa, not only in matters of defense, but also in all other areas that constitute the building blocs of continental unity and development. In this regard, Zimbabwe has made an immense contribution which succeeding generations of Africans will acknowledge. Now that peace is possible in the DRC, the U. ¶N. Security Council should be more pro-active and speed up the peace process. We hope that the SADC allied force -and Zimbabwe in particular - will keep a watchful eye on a process which could not have begun in earnest were it not for their intervention that saved the DRC in 1998." WHITEHEAD