MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DECIDES; HARARE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000667 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DECIDES; HARARE ¶1. UNDER HEADLINE "GOVERNMENT DESPERATE TO WIN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HARARE 00667 01 OF 02 140608Z ELECTION BY ANY MEANS," THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE DAILY NEWS" DEDICATED ITS MARCH 13 EDITORIAL TO CRITICIZING REGIONAL OBSERVERS FOR BEING PARTISAN IN THE JUST ENDED PRESIDENTIAL POLL. EXCERPTS: "THE VERIFICATION OF THE BALLOT BOXES AND PAPERS BEGAN YESTERDAY, BUT IT WAS MERELY THE BEGINNING OF AN EXERCISE IN CONFIRMING THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE WEEKEND PRESIDENTIAL POLL WAS FLAWED. JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING REGARDING THIS ELECTION PROCESS - OBSERVERS INCLUDED - HAS BEEN FLAWED. CURIOUSLY ALL THE OBSERVER MISSIONS THAT WERE FAVORED BY THE STATE MEDIA PROCLAIMED THE PROCESS FREE AND FAIR, EVEN IN THE FACE OF THEIR OWN COLLEAGUES BEING ATTACKED. . . IT IS DIFFICULT TO ESCAPE THE CONCLUSION THAT THESE GROUPS OF OBSERVERS WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE RULING PARTIES OR THEIR GOVERNMENTS TO PRONOUNCE FREE AND FAIR, WHEN THEY SET OUT FOR HARARE. IN THE CASE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN OBSERVER DELEGATION. . . SUCH A VIEW WOULD BE PROMOTED BY A BELIEF THAT PRONOUNCING A 'STOLEN ELECTION' IN ZIMBABWE WILL RESULT IN A CRISIS OF THE TYPE WITNESSED IN MADAGASCAR AND A FLOOD OF PEOPLE FLEEING TO SOUTH AFRICA. IT WOULD BE IN THE INTEREST OF SOUTH AFRICA NOT TO CONDEMN THE PROCESS AND, THEREFORE, CONTAIN THE LIKELIHOOD OF FALLOUT. A SECOND CONSIDERATION THAT LEADS TO THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN OBSERVER MISSION APPEARS TO BE ACTING ON THE INSTRUCTION OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) OF SOUTH AFRICA IS THE COMPARISON OF THE LEVEL OF VIOLENCE IN THAT COUNTRY UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 00667 01 OF 02 140608Z TO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ZIMBABWE. . . IN CONTRAST, HOWEVER, THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AMBASSADORS HAVE IDENTIFIED VIOLENCE AND THE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO CHEAT ITS WAY TO AN ELECTORAL VICTORY AND DECLARED 'THE OPPOSITION DID NOT HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY WITH THE GOVERNMENT, VOTERS DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT ACCESS TO POLLING STATIONS, AND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH MONITORING.' THE OPPOSITION HAS HAD TO FIGHT EVERY INCH OF THIS ELECTORAL MILE, THAT IT WOULD BE EMBARRASSING FOR ANYONE OF ANY PROBITY NO TO HAVE NOTICED HOW FLAWED THIS EXERCISE WAS. . .THE GOVERNMENT HAS SHOWN ITS DETERMINATION TO WIN THIS ELECTION BY HOOK OR CROOK. . . ." ¶2. UNDER HEADLINE "PROPHETS OF DOOM PUT TO SHAME," THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "THE HERALD" DEDICATED THE MARCH 13 EDITORIAL TO CRITICIZE THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR WANTING TO INTERFERE IN ZIMBABWE'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS. EXCERPTS FOLLOW: "AGAINST ALL ODDS, ZIMBABWEANS TURNED OUT IN THEIR THOUSANDS TO VOTE IN THE THREE-DAY PRESIDENTIAL POLL. . . THE PROPHETS OF DOOM, WHO WERE PREDICTING VIOLENCE AND MAYHEM DURING THE ACTUAL VOTING PROCESS, HAVE BEEN PUT TO SHAME AS ZIMBABWEANS CONDUCTED THEMSELVES IN A MOST EXEMPLARY MANNER. ALMOST THE ENTIRE WESTERN WORLD WAS BANKING ON A CATASTROPHE HAPPENING IN ZIMBABWE WITH DEAD BODIES LITTERING THE STREETS, GUN-TOTING MILITIAS PATROLLING THE SUBURBS AND A STATE OF UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HARARE 00667 01 OF 02 140608Z EMERGENCY PREVAILING IN THE COUNTRY. HOWEVER, THE HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER STORY HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A DAMP SQUIB AS ZIMBABWEANS HAVE DEMONSTRATED A MATURE DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATION. THERE WAS A LOT OF ANTICIPATION THAT THE CLOSER OF POLLING ON MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE SOME PEOPLE HAD VOTED, AFTER THE EXTENSION, WOULD TRIGGER AN ORGY OF VIOLENCE. BUT THAT FAILED TO MATERIALIZE, FURTHER DAMPENING THE EXPECTATIONS OF BRITAIN, THE U. S. AND THE EU, AMONG OTHERS, WHO HAVE BEEN DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO DISCREDIT ZIMBABWE'S ELECTION. THE AMERICANS EVEN WENT TO THE EXTENT OF ISSUING TWO SO- CALLED STRONG WARNINGS AGAINST THE RULING ZANU PF GOVERNMENT FOR THE ALLEGED DISENFRANCHISEMENT OF URBAN VOTERS AND THE QUESTIONING OF SOME AMERICAN DIPLOMATS BY THE POLICE. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO BASIS FOR ISSUING SUCH WARNINGS EXCEPT WHAT WE SEE AS A NAKED ATTEMPT TO CREATE A SITUATION. THIS ALSO REVEALS GROWING DESPERATION BY THE WEST AS IT FAILS TO INFLUENCE EVENTS IN ZIMBABWE. . .IT IS INDEED AN INSULT TO ALL ZIMBABWEANS TO BE TOLD WHAT UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ2056 PAGE 01 HARARE 00667 02 OF 02 140608Z ACTION INR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 IRM-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W -------------- 74459C 140608Z /38 P 140558Z MAR 02 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1204 INFO NSC WASHDC AMEMBASSY PRETORIA AMEMBASSY LUSAKA AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK AMEMBASSY GABORONE AMEMBASSY LILONGWE AMEMBASSY LONDON UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000667 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DECIDES; HARARE TO DO BY THE AMERICANS WHOSE OWN ELECTIONS LEFT A UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HARARE 00667 02 OF 02 140608Z LOT TO BE DESIRED AND COULD NEVER STAND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AS A MODEL OF DEMOCRACY OR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. WE ALSO FIND OBJECTIONABLE THE UNITED STATES' THREAT AGAINST ZIMBABWE FOLLOWING THE QUESTIONING OF AMERICAN DIPLOMATS. . .ARE THEY INSINUATING THAT AMERICAN DIPLOMATS ARE GODS WHO CANNOT BE QUESTIONED EVEN IF THEY ARE SUSPECTED OF BREAKING THE LAW? WE THINK NOT. WHAT THIS SIMPLY SHOWS IS THAT THE WESTERN WORLD IS UNASHAMEDLY TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT WITH THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT BUT HAS SO FAR FAILED TO FIND ANY JUSTIFIABLE REASON TO DO SO. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE CLUTCHING AT ALMOST ANYTHING, NO MATTER HOW TRIVIAL, TO THREATEN THE COUNTRY. THE TURNOUT IN THIS ELECTION HAS SENT CLEAR SIGNALS TO THE WESTERN WORLD THAT ZIMBABWE IS NOT A COLONY AND WILL NOT BE SWAYED BY SUCH BLATANT THREATS. IN DENIGRATING THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT THE WESTERN WORLD DOES NOT SEEM TO REALIZE IS THAT IT DIRECTLY INSULTING THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE. THAT IS WHY THEY HAVE TURNED OUT IN THEIR HUGE NUMBERS TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT THEY CANNOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED AND WILL STAND BY THEIR LEADERSHIP, WHICH THEY VOTED INTO POWER TO LEAD AND GUIDE THEM." SULLIVAN UNCLASSIFIED >