MUGABE INAUGURAL REMARKS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000704 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER LONDON FOR GURNEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/12 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREL ZI SUBJECT: MUGABE INAUGURAL REMARKS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). INAUGURATION CEREMONY -------------- ¶1. (U) PRESIDENT MUGABE WAS SWORN IN FOR A FIFTH TERM ON MARCH 17, ONLY TWO DAYS AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE APPARENTLY HASTILY- ARRANGED INAUGURATION CEREMONY. FIVE AFRICAN HEADS OF STATE WERE IN ATTENDANCE -- TANZANIA'S BENJAMIN MKAPA; MOZAMBIQUE'S JOAQUIM CHISSANO; MALAWI'S BAKILI MULUZI; NAMIBIA'S SAM NUJOMA; AND DRC'S JOSEPH KABILA. SOUTH AFRICA WAS REPRESENTED BY VICE-PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, BOTSWANA BY VICE-PRESIDENT IAN KHAMA, AND ZAMBIA BY VICE-PRESIDENT ENOCK KAVINDILE. ANGOLA, LIBYA, AND RWANDA SENT HIGH-LEVEL REPRESENTATIVES FROM CAPITALS. AFTER MUGABE WAS SWORN IN, PRESIDENT MKAPA HUGGED THE ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY WAVED THE ZANU-PF SALUTE -- A CLOSED FIST -- IN THE AIR. NEITHER AMBASSADOR SULLIVAN NOR HIS COUNTERPARTS FROM EU MISSIONS, CANADA, OR AUSTRALIA ATTENDED THE CEREMONY. PRESIDENT'S REMARKS -------------- ¶2. (U) PRESIDENT MUGABE'S SPEECH CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING KEY THEMES: --ZIMBABWE'S ELECTORAL PROCESS HAD BEEN QUINTESSENTIALLY DEMOCRATIC ("THE GREATEST WINNER, YOU WILL AGREE, WAS OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS"); --A VAGUE OVERTURE TO THE OPPOSITION ("OUR ENERGIES AND CAPABILITIES ARE SURELY BETTER SPENT ON CONSTRUCTIVE PEOPLE- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00704 01 OF 02 181458Z ORIENTED TASKS AND PROGRAMMES THAN ON PLANNING AND PLOTTING THE DOWNFALL OF EACH OTHER. THE SERIOUS ESPOUSAL OF THE IDEAL OF NATIONAL UNITY AND THE SPIRIT OF BROTHERHOOD WILL INJECT CORRECT DOSES OF LOVE AND FERVOUR INTO OUR RELATIONSHIPS HITHERTO SOURED BY HOSTILITY AND ANGUISH...OUR COUNTRY BECKONS US TO JOIN HANDS IN A FORMIDABLE UNITY OF PURPOSE AS WE VIGOROUSLY ENGAGE IN OUR VARIOUS NATIONAL ENDEAVOURS); --THE LAND REFORM PROGRAM WILL BE INTENSIFIED AND FUNDING FOR IT WILL BE INCREASED ("THE LAND REFORM PROGRAMME MUST PROCEED WITH GREATER SPEED AND STRENGTH"); --THE GOZ HAS DEVISED A "COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC RECOVERY STRATEGY, WHOSE COMPONENTS INTEGRALLY ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AND INDIGENIZATION; RESTORATION OF CONFIDENCE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ECONOMY AND FORMULATION OF APPROPRIATE, 
CONSENSUS-BASED RESPONSES TO THE PROBLEMS OF REDUCED FOREIGN CURRENCY INFLOWS, INFLATION, HIGH PRICES, DEBT MANAGEMENT AND LOW INVESTMENT ACTIVITY..."; --GOVERNMENT WILL FOCUS ON RESURRECTING THE TOURIST INDUSTRY, "WHICH WE MUST CONTINUE TO ENHANCE BOTH QUANTITATIVELY AND QUALITATIVELY"; --ZIMBABWE MUST CONTINUE TO GUARD AGAINST PREDATOR NATIONS TRYING TO RECOLONIZE IT ("WE HAVE DEALT A STUNNING BLOW TO IMPERIALISM"; "...YOU CERTAINLY HAVE NOW BEEN ABLE TO SEE HOW BRITAIN AND ITS WHITE ALLIES HAVE BLATANTLY SOUGHT TO ENSURE THAT THIS LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BE WON BY THEIR PROTEGE AND NOT BY ME AND ZANU-PF. BUT THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE FOR LOUDLY SAYING NO. NO. NEVER. NEVER AGAIN SHALL ZIMBABWE BE A COLONY. I THANK CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 00704 01 OF 02 181458Z THEM FOR THEIR ANTI-IMPERIALIST STAND"; "WE MUST NOW DELIVER A FATAL BLOW TO THE HEAD, NOT ONLY THE BODY, OF THE COLONIAL MONSTER"; --A WARM THANK YOU TO FRIENDLY HEADS OF STATE FOR THEIR SOLIDARITY ("I WANT TO THANK OUR BROTHERLY AFRICAN AND NON-AFRICAN COUNTRIES FOR THEIR FULL SOLIDARITY AND ENDURING SUPPORT" AND FOR HELPING ZIMBABWE "CELEBRATE OUR VICTORY OVER COLONIALISM. MAY I MENTION, HOWEVER, THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN THE FUTURE AS IMPERIALIST MANOEUVRES AGAINST ZIMBABWE PERSIST.") COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (C) MUGABE'S REMARKS CONFIRMED OUR SUSPICION THAT HE INTENDS TO PRESS FORWARD WITH THE SAME DISCREDITED BUT DESTRUCTIVE POLICIES. HIS OVERTURE TO THE OPPOSITION WAS UNCONVINCING, AND HIS TIRED ANTI-IMPERIALIST RHETORIC -- WHICH WAS MOSTLY ADDED EXTEMPORANEOUSLY TO HIS PREPARED REMARKS -- WILL CERTAINLY FURTHER ANTAGONIZE THE DONOR COMMUNITY, WHOSE HELP HE WILL NEED IN MASSIVE AMOUNTS IF HE HAS ANY HOPE OF REBUILDING HIS SHATTERED COUNTRY. HE OFFERED NO SOLUTIONS WHICH HE CAN IMPLEMENT FOR ZIMBABWE'S ECONOMIC CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2051 PAGE 01 HARARE 00704 02 OF 02 181459Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /007W -------------- 76AA47 181459Z /48 O 181422Z MAR 02 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1241 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY ABUJA IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY PRETORIA IMMEDIATE USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000704 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER LONDON FOR GURNEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/12 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREL ZI SUBJECT: MUGABE INAUGURAL REMARKS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME MISERY AND HIS VOW TO PROMOTE TOURISM WITHOUT MAKING MAJOR POLICY CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 00704 02 OF 02 181459Z CHANGES ACROSS THE BOARD BELONGS IN THE CATEGORY OF FANTASYLAND. WE KNOW THAT MUGABE RECEIVED NUMEROUS PERSONAL APPEALS IN RECENT DAYS FROM PRESIDENT OBASANJO TO MAKE HIS FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTS CONCILIATORY. MUGABE WAS BUOYED BY HIS NEARLY HALF-A-MILLION-VOTE MARGIN OF "VICTORY" AND APPARENTLY IS NOT IN THE MOOD TO COMPROMISE, EXCEPT ON HIS TERMS; I.E. THE MDC SHOULD ACCEPT AND COOPERATE WITH HIS GOVERNMENT AND BE CONTENT WITH THE MAYORALITIES IT WON IN HARARE AND CHITUNGWIZA. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PROSPECTS FOR GENUINE RECONCILIATION AND ECONOMIC REVIVAL ARE BLEAK SO LONG AS MUGABE REMAINS AT THE HELM. SULLIVAN CONFIDENTIAL >