INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER CRITICIZES GOVRNMENT FOR

UNCLAS HARARE 002034 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO ZI SUBJECT: INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER CRITICIZES GOVRNMENT FOR BLOCKING OPPOSITION'S FOOD RELIEF EFFORT ¶1. Opposition MDC party efforts, thus far in vain, to bring donated food into Zimbabwe have begun to generate media attention. The independent "Daily News" dedicated its September 5 editorial to the issue. Under the title "Let food roll in without the import papers" the editorial says in part: ¶2. "Zimbabwe is facing its severest crisis in living memory. Millions are violently exposed to hunger and famine, political uncertainty, economic ruin and total insecurity. . . The crisis is so overwhelming the government no longer has the capacity to contain it. The latest seizure of grain, sourced by the opposition MDC party to lessen the impact of the catastrophe, is a criminal act, considering the severity of poverty on the ground. To insist on a permit for an essential commodity, meant as a free handout to save a life, shows unimaginable callousness. Today's hand-to-mouth situation is an unsustainable recipe for political unrest. . . Any concerned person wishing to help Zimbabwe must turn up at any border post with whatever quantity of maize they can obtain. Let (Agriculture Minister) Made impound it, if he thinks it's the best way to fend off the threat of death from starvation." SULLIVAN