MEDIA REPORT ZDERA; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 001990 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT ZDERA; HARARE ¶1. The December 31 edition of the government- controlled daily "Chronicle" characterized the signing of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) of 2001 by President George Bush as "an open declaration of war." Under headline "A declaration of war," the paper comments: ¶2. "The signing of the ZDERA by U.S. President, George W. Bush is an open declaration of war. The protagonists are the Bush administration on the one hand and the ZANU PF government on the other. The 'grass' which usually suffers are Zimbabweans as Americans are too far away from the 'front.' War- monger Bush has made many mistakes barely 100 days into office, but affixing his signature to the Sanctions Bill, crafted by racist pro-Rhodesians in the U.S. Senate, is his worst and most unforgivable. He has shown Zimbabweans what to expect from the trigger-happy White House in the days to come. There is no doubt in our minds that the Sanctions Bill is meant to cow the government and ruling party into submission. It is meant to bring the government down so that a puppet, who will dance to the Bush tune, will be installed. The message to Bush and those misguided senators still swimming in bigotry is - we will not be a banana republic. The Zimbabwe government. . .will not cringe. Zimbabweans cannot be intimidate. We now know the enemy and we are more than prepared to hit them hard, make no mistake about that." SULLIVAN