Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02HARARE704
2002-03-18 14:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Harare
Cable title:  

MUGABE INAUGURAL REMARKS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME

Tags:  PGOV PREL ZI 
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181422Z Mar 02


 CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2044

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 ------------------76AA03 181458Z /48 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1240
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 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
---------------------

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

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