UNCLAS HARARE 002346

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT U. S. UNDER FIRE; HARARE


1. Under headline "Bush wants to create space for
decision strike on Iraq" the October 28 edition of the
government-controlled daily "The Herald" carried the
following op-ed by Chinondidyachii Mararike on page 8:


2. "Will the U.S. go ahead and launch military
strikes against Iraq or will Saddam Hussein comply
with Bush's ultimatum that `Iraq complies with all the
relevant UN resolutions.?' Surely these are not the
right questions to ask. What is right to ask is why
now, and after months of dilly-dallying, has Bush seen
it fit to seek UN approval for America's so-called war
on terrorism? Is the issue simply that of weapons
inspections or is there a greater and even more
sinister agenda than the inarticulate Bush is either
able or willing to articulate?

". . .The point then is that Bush's 12 September
2002 speech to the 190-member UN General
Assembly was intended to provide international
cover for American unilateralism, and thus give
legitimacy to Bush's need for a regime change
not only in Iraq but in other states that stand
up against U.S. domination and control.

". . .Surely if Bush had concern for upholding
human rights then his government would not
support, arm and underwrite the ISRAELi army to
mount military campaigns against innocent
Palestinians. And if America has respect for
the rule of law then it would understand the
Zimbabwean government's commitment to correcting
the injustices of colonialism and contemporary
U.S.-supported neo-colonialism and not impose
punitive sanctions against our entire
leadership. I think it's time somebody reminded
Bush, and his `blind' Caucasian American
followers, that America is not the only
superpower in the world but that people in
countries continuously resisting U.S.
imperialism are in fact the superpowers. . . ."

SULLIVAN