AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSION WITH MUGABE'S CHIEF OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002381

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR CNEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSION WITH MUGABE'S CHIEF OF
STAFF

Classified By: political section chief Matt Harrington. Reasons: 1.5 (
B) and (D).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) In an October 30 conversation, the Ambassador and
Charles Utete -- President Mugabe's Chief of Staff --
acknowledged the differences between our two governments but
agreed on the importance of keeping communication channels
open. The Ambassador urged Utete to implement the Cabinet's
decision to accept food assistance containing GMO and to
facilitate GOZ approval of additional NGOs to conduct food
deliveries. Utete said the fact that some NGOs were involved
in both political activities and food distribution created a
"perception problem" and he advised that the World Food
Program (WFP) keep this in mind when selecting implementing
partners. He agreed to intervene to resolve the impasse in
Binga, where food deliveries were halted four weeks ago after
the opposition MDC won 16 of 21 rural council seats. The
Ambassador lamented the extreme political polarization in
Zimbabwe and said any sustainable solution to the crisis
required both sides, as a first step, to recognize the
legitimacy of the other. Utete said he did not disagree with
the Ambassador's points and would not try to excuse "anything
that's happened here," but he stressed that the process of
political and social development Zimbabwe was going through
now would not happen without hitches. End Summary.

Let's Talk
--------------


2. (C) In an October 30 meeting with Charles Utete,
President Mugabe's Chief of Staff, the Ambassador noted that
there are areas of disagreement between the USG and the
Government of Zimbabwe, but he emphasized the importance of
keeping communication channels open. He stressed that
Zimbabwe is suffering from an interrelated set of crises and
that, while it was up to Zimbabweans to determine the way
forward, the United States was willing to be helpful in the
search for a solution. Utete agreed on the importance of
dialogue. He said the GOZ had the impression that the USG
had decided to keep it at arm's length and preferred to have
as little contact as possible. Utete noted that he had had
frequent, productive interactions with the Ambassador's
predecessors. The two governments would not always agree, he
said -- "that's impossible" -- but it was important to talk
about our differences.

Food shortage
--------------


3. (C) The Ambassador noted that deliveries of
international food assistance were generally working well,
with the major exceptions of Binga and Insiza districts,
although GOZ concerns about GMO and suspicions of some NGOs
was slowing the process down unnecessarily. Despite
President Mugabe's assurances to WFP head James Morris in
August to accept food assistance containing GMO and a
subsequent endorsement of that decision by Cabinet, the
Ministry of Agriculture still had not signed the required
paperwork for deliveries to move forward. There is also an
urgent need, the Ambassador continued, for Government
approval of additional NGOs to distribute food, as only
abvout a third of the districts that need assistance are
currently getting it. He noted that food deliveries in Binga
had been suspended by local authorities four weeks ago after
the MDC won 16 of 21 seats in the rural council elections,
and by WFP in Insiza after ruling party supporters stole
three metric tons of food. The Ambassador urged that these
two situations be resolved expeditiously.


4. (C) In response, Utete said he knew the Ambassador
appreciated the controversy surrounding GMO. Despite the
speculation about possible negative long-term health effects,
the GOZ had decided to accept food containing GMO under
specified conditions. He was, therefore, "surprised to hear
that the bureaucratic wheels were moving so slowly after this
decision was taken at the highest level." He said the GOZ
should not be placing obstacles in the way of assistance to
the people of Zimbabwe -- "that makes no sense." He pointed
out that, if there were better communication between the
Embassy and his office, he could intervene to resolve such
problems.

Binga
--------------


5. (C) Utete said he was not fully informed of the
situation in Binga, but mused that the lack of food
deliveries there for four weeks surely could not be
deliberate. The Ambassador replied that food deliveries had
been suspended at Government's order. Utete noted the high
degree of political polarization in Zimbabwe and said the
fact that some organizations had been involved in both food
distribution and "political" activities created a perception
problem. WFP, he emphasized, needed to pay closer attention
to perceptions in choosing its implementing partners. The
Ambassador said the political preferences of NGO employees
should be irrelevant so long as the NGO was doing a fair job.
Utete agreed but again stressed that perceptions matter.
After the Ambassador pressed for his help in resolving the
Binga impasse, Utete promised to look into the matter and
said he would ask when, not whether, deliveries would resume.

Political Crisis
--------------


6. (C) Utete said the GOZ wants to reduce the country's
reliance on rain-fed agriculture, but said a large-scale
moved toward irrigated crops would require resources.
"That's where donors like the United States come in," Utete
said pointedly. The Ambassador said Zimbabwe must first
address its comprehensive set of problems, including the
political crisis; if there is a genuine will to do so, we
would consider helping. Asked to elaborate, the Ambassador
said the macroeconomic policies pursued by the GOZ are almost
unique and are unlikely to produce positive results. The
political crisis is also very deep; the Ambassador said he
had lived and worked in many different countries but had
never seen an environment as polarized as that in Zimbabwe.
"Polarized," Utete acknowledged, "but not hopeless." The
Ambassador agreed, emphasizing the need for Government to get
beyond the polarization and harness the formidable talents of
Zimbabweans on both sides of the political divide in
addressing the country's significant challenges. For any
resolution of the political crisis to be sustainable, both
sides must accept the legitimacy of the other and give the
other sufficient space to operate, while the current
political environment in which the winner takes all and the
loser takes nothing has to change.


7. (C) Utete replied that he could not disagree in principle
with the Ambassador's points. It was important, however, to
have some historical perspective. The American political
system is "beyond imitation," Utete said. It took many years
to develop and the path was not easy; Americans fought a
Civil War along the way. He thinks, sometimes, that
developed countries are too harsh in their judgments of
Zimbabwe. He said his country was going through a process of
political and social development, and it was unfair to think
this could happen without hitches. He emphasized that he was
"not trying to excuse anything that has happened here," but
was merely wearing his academic's hat. In response, the
Ambassador said it was ultimately up to Zimbabweans to
determine the way forward. The United States was willing to
be helpful in resolving the political crisis,
and the Ambassador was willing to talk at any time about any
issues to Utete or individuals he suggested. Utete welcomed
engagement in discussions with other nations, as Zimbabweans
can learn from other experiences as they work to find a
solution of their own.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) Utete is no ideologue and he does not go overboard in
parroting the party line. He is bright and savvy, and has
lived in the United States. His access to Mugabe gives him
significant influence within the Government, and he can be
helpful in resolving problems and in passing messages. We
will be interested to see if his intervention helps resolve
the food impasse in Binga. The Ambassador's intention in
seeking this meeting was to keep the channels of
communication open. Utete clearly was appreciative of the
effort and seemed genuinely interested in maintaining regular
contact.

SULLIVAN