MUGABE PROMISES FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, NAMES OBSERVER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000269 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER PARIS FOR NEARY LONDON FOR GURNEY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/12 TAGS: PREL ZI SUBJECT: MUGABE PROMISES FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, NAMES OBSERVER GROUPS TO BE INVITED CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) APPEARING BEFORE JOURNALISTS ON JANUARY 28, PRESIDENT MUGABE PROMISED THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD DO ALL IT COULD TO ENSURE A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, AND ANNOUNCED THAT INVITATIONS WOULD BE EXTENDED TO OBSERVER DELEGATIONS FROM THE FOLLOWING: THE OAU; SADC; COMESA; ECOWAS; THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT; THE COMMONWEALTH (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM); A JOINT AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN, PACIFIC (ACP)-EU DELEGATION LED BY THE ACP (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM); THE NAACP; AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS AND COUNTRIES TO BE INVITED "IN DUE COURSE," INCLUDING NIGERIA. HE SAID NIGERIA AND SADC COULD SEND OBSERVERS "IMMEDIATELY" BUT DID NOT SPECIFY WHEN INVITATIONS MIGHT BE FORTHCOMING FOR THE OTHER DESIGNATED GROUPS. MUGABE ALSO APPEALED TO POLITICAL PARTIES, CHURCHES, WAR VETERANS, TRADE UNIONS, AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO END INCIDENTS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN THE RUN-UP TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 9-10. HE ANNOUNCED THAT ZIMBABWEAN EMBASSIES ABROAD WOULD ACCREDIT FOREIGN JOURNALISTS TO COVER THE ELECTION, BUT PROVIDED NO DETAILS ON WHEN THAT PROCESS WOULD BEGIN OR HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: MOST OF THE GROUPS MUGABE NAMED HAVE LITTLE OR NO CAPACITY FOR OR EXPERIENCE IN ELECTION OBSERVATION, A FACT OF WHICH THE ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT IS LIKELY WELL AWARE. SEVERAL EU DIPLOMATS TOLD US MUGABE PROBABLY EXPECTS THE EU TO REJECT THE CONDITIONS PLACED ON ITS PARTICIPATION. ACCORDING TO ALEX KREMER, A HARARE-BASED EU DIPLOMAT, THE ACP HAS A TINY SECRETARIAT IN BRUSSELS AND NO EXPERIENCE IN OBSERVING ELECTIONS, AND VALUABLE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00269 01 OF 02 291601Z TIME WOULD NOW BE CONSUMED BY ACP-EU CONSULTATIONS ON HOW TO PROCEED. MUGABE DID NOT SPECIFY WHICH SADC INSTITUTIONS WOULD BE INVITED, BUT THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM'S SECRETARY-GENERAL TOLD US THAT BOTH THE FORUM AND THE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS WOULD BE INCLUDED. INTERLOCUTORS FROM THE CANADIAN AND AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONS TOLD US THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST A WEEK FROM THE DATE OF RECEIPT OF A GOZ INVITATION FOR THE COMMONWEALTH TO DEPLOY AN OBSERVER TEAM, AND POINTED OUT THAT MUGABE HAD NOT BEEN EXPLICIT ABOUT WHEN SUCH AN INVITATION MIGHT BE ISSUED. MUGABE DID NOT MENTION IFES OR THE CARTER CENTER, AND WE ARE NOT AWARE THAT THE NAACP HAS ANY CAPACITY FOR OR INTEREST IN OBSERVING THE ZIMBABWEAN ELECTION. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THE LIST ANNOUNCED BY MUGABE WAS CONCOCTED IN ORDER TO BUY TIME AND TO ENSURE AS LITTLE SCRUTINY AS POSSIBLE, WHILE TRYING TO MAKE THE GOZ APPEAR FORTHCOMING. MUGABE'S CALL FOR A REDUCTION IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND VOW TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ENSURE A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION ARE CERTAINLY POSITIVE MESSAGES, BUT ONLY DEVELOPMENTS ON THE GROUND WILL SHOW WHETHER HE IS SINCERE. WE ARE NOT OPTIMISTIC. ¶3. (U) BEGIN TEXT OF PRESIDENT MUGABE'S JANUARY 28 REMARKS: SINCE MY ANNOUNCEMENT ON 9 JANUARY THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WOULD BE HELD ON THE 9TH AND 10TH OF MARCH 2002, MY GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN CERTAIN STEPS, AND SET ON COURSE VARIOUS PROCESSES TO FACILITATE THE HOLDING OF A SMOOTH POLITICAL PROCESS. I WISH TO EXPRESS MY SATISFACTION WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S PREPARATIONS SO FAR FOR THE ELECTION. THE FORTHCOMING ELECTION WILL, ONCE AGAIN, UNDERLINE ZIMBABWE'S ESTABLISHED DEMOCRATIC TRADITION SINCE ITS INDEPENDENCE IN 1980, OF HOLDING REGULAR PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 00269 01 OF 02 291601Z PROVIDED FOR IN OUR CONSTITUTION. IN THIS REGARD, AND AS HEAD OF STATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE, I WISH TO ASSURE THE NATION THAT, AS WE DID DURING ALL OTHER ELECTIONS PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED IN THE COUNTRY, MY GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE HOLDING OF A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION. IN LINE WITH ZIMBABWE'S TRADITION OF HOLDING OPEN DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS, MY GOVERNMENT WILL BE INVITING, AMONG OTHERS, THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS TO SEND OBSERVERS TO WITNESS THE ELECTORAL PROCESS AND SEE THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE PROUDLY EXERCISE THEIR SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO FREELY ELECT A PRESIDENT OF THEIR CHOICE. ¶1. THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY/AFRICAN UNION (OAU-AU); ¶2. THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC); ¶3. THE COMMON MARKET FOR EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (COMESA); ¶4. THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS); ¶5. THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM); ¶6. THE COMMONWEALTH (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM); ¶7. JOINT ACP-EU DELEGATION (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM),LED BY THE ACP; ¶8. THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLOURED PEOPLE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTO9199 PAGE 01 HARARE 00269 02 OF 02 291602Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 WHA-00 SRPP-00 EAP-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /005W -------------- 5EE02B 291602Z /03 O 291529Z JAN 02 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0830 INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PRIORITY AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY NSC WASHDC PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000269 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER PARIS FOR NEARY LONDON FOR GURNEY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/12 TAGS: PREL ZI CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 00269 02 OF 02 291602Z SUBJECT: MUGABE PROMISES FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, NAMES OBSERVER GROUPS TO BE INVITED (NAACP) FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ¶9. INDIVIDUALS AND COUNTRIES TO BE INVITED IN THEIR OWN CAPACITIES INCLUDE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. THE SADC AND NIGERIA WILL BE INVITED TO SEND THEIR OBSERVERS IMMEDIATELY. MY GOVERNMENT WILL, AS IS ITS PRACTICE, BE ACCREDITING FOREIGN JOURNALISTS THROUGH OUR EMBASSIES, TO COVER THE FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS, ON THE BASIS OF THE COUNTRY'S LAWS AND REGULATIONS. I WISH TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL TO THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING ALL THE POLITICAL PARTIES, CHIEFS, CHURCHES, WAR VETERANS, FARMERS' UNIONS, TRADE UNIONS, BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, MEDIA HOUSES, WOMEN AND YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS OTHER CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, TO COME TOGETHER TO EXCHANGE VIEWS WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF ENDING INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE OCCURRING IN SOME AREAS SO AS TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE CONDUCIVE TO THE HOLDING OF A FREE, FAIR AND PEACEFUL ELECTION. IN THIS REGARD I SHALL BE INVITING THE ABOVE MENTIONED GROUPS TO CHART A PEACEFUL WAY FORWARD. RECALLING THE SUPREME SACRIFICE PAID BY THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE PRIDE THEY TAKE IN EXERCISING THEIR SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO ELECT A PRESIDENT OF THEIR OWN CHOICE, MY GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE CAN EXERCISE THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM ANY QUARTER WHATSOEVER WHETHER INTERNAL OR CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00269 02 OF 02 291602Z EXTERNAL. END TEXT. SULLIVAN CONFIDENTIAL >