GOI: IF WE SANCTION ZIMBABWE, WHY NOT ERITREA?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 004613 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR AF/E, DRL/BL, AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2012 TAGS: PREL ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER IT SADC ITPREL SADC SUBJECT: GOI: IF WE SANCTION ZIMBABWE, WHY NOT ERITREA? REF: A. STATE 175001 ¶B. ROME 3604 CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 04613 01 OF 02 250026Z ¶1. (U) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST; PLEASE SEE PARA 9. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (C) POLMINCOUNS DELIVERED TO MFA ASSISTANT SECRETARY-EQUIVALENT CABRAS REF A DEMARCHE ENJOINING THE EU SIPDIS NOT TO INVITE ZIMBABWE TO ITS FALL MEETING WITH THE SOUTHERN AFRICA DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC). NOTING THAT THE EU WAS CONSIDERING CHANGING VENUES AS A COMPROMISE, CABRAS TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN A DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY, USING ERITREA AS AN EXAMPLE. THE GOI WOULD LIKE WASHINGTON'S INPUT ON HOW TO DEAL WITH DICTATORSHIPS LIKE ASMARA. CABRAS APPEARS TO BELIEVE THAT SANCTIONS AND CRITICISM LEAD TO CONFRONTATION, WHICH CAN BREAK DOWN COMMUNICATION. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- THE AFRICAN CONTEXT: SANCTIONS LEAD TO CONFRONTATION -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) ON SEPTEMBER 18, POLMINCOUNS DELIVERED REF A DEMARCHE ASKING THE EU TO EXCLUDE ZIMBABWE FROM ITS NOVEMBER MEETING WITH SADC TO BRUNO CABRAS, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN AFFAIRS. THIS EXCHANGE FOLLOWED A JULY 17 DISCUSSION ON THE SAME SUBJECT BETWEEN POLOFF AND MFA OFFICE DIRECTOR MARIO BOLOGNA (REF B). LIKE BOLOGNA, CABRAS MADE NO PROMISES. ¶4. (C) AFTER STATING THAT THE EU MIGHT HOLD THE MEETING IN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 04613 01 OF 02 250026Z MAPUTO INSTEAD OF EUROPE IN ORDER TO PREVENT MUGABE FROM USING IT TO LEGITIMIZE HIMSELF IN THE WEST, CABRAS ARGUED THAT ZIMBABWE "SHOULD BE SEEN IN THE AFRICAN CONTEXT." HE NOTED THAT THE ZIMBABWE CRISIS HAS SPARKED AN AFRICAN CONFRONTATION WITH THE WEST IN MULTILATERAL FORA. CABRAS CITED GABONESE PRESIDENT BONGO'S 9/17 UNGA STATEMENT CALLING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NOT TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON COUNTRIES NOT YET ABLE TO LIVE UP TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD). CABRAS SAID THAT NOT INVITING ZIMBABWE TO THE SADC MEETING WOULD BE VIEWED AS A SANCTION, AND THAT AFRICAN COUNTRIES WORRIED THAT SANCTIONS WOULD ESTABLISH A PRECEDENT THAT COULD BE LATER APPLIED TO THEM. UNDER THE EU-ACP COTONOU AGREEMENT, DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS WERE BASIC AGREED VALUES, BUT TO IMPOSE IMMEDIATE COMPLIANCE WOULD BE DIFFICULT. AFRICANS SEE SANCTIONS AS THE WRONG APPROACH AND TEND TO RALLY AROUND SANCTIONED COUNTRIES. -------------- -------------- "DO WE GO ABOUT BASHING ALL THE DICTATORS ON THE HEAD?" -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) CABRAS THEN OPENED A BROAD-RANGING DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY. HE ASKED, PERHAPS RHETORICALLY, "SHOULD WE MOVE TO OPEN OTHER FRONTS (SIC)? SHOULD WE SANCTION OTHER COUNTRIES? DO WE GO ABOUT BASHING ALL THE DICTATORS ON THE HEAD? THIS IS THE POINT TO CONVEY TO WASHINGTON." HE WANTED TO KNOW IF WASHINGTON WOULD SUPPORT SIMILAR "SANCTIONS" ON A COUNTRY LIKE ERITREA, WHICH HAS NOT HELD EVEN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN TEN YEARS AND IMPRISONS ITS POLITICAL OPPONENTS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE GOI DOES NOT WANT TO JEOPARDIZE THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 04613 01 OF 02 250026Z PEACE PROCESS WITH ETHIOPIA AND, ACCORDING TO CNN, THERE ARE TWO AL-QAEDA BASES IN ERITREA THAT HAD TO BE CONSIDERED "BEFORE YOU START TO DESTABILIZE." ¶6. (C) POLMINCOUNS REPLIED THAT THE USG BELIEVES THAT COMMUNICATION WITH A GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE CUT OFF ONLY IN EXTREME CASES IN WHICH OTHER MEANS HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED AND WE MUST SHOW PEOPLE THAT THEIR LEADER HAS NO INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY. CALLING A REFUSAL TO MEET WITH A GOVERNMENT A SANCTION IS INACCURATE. THE OAU AND SADC ARE INCLINED TO CHALLENGE MOVES LIKE THIS, BUT IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE TO HOLD SADC MEMBERS TO THEIR STATED VALUES. FINALLY, IT IS SYMBOLICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE EU TO EXCLUDE ZIMBABWE, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO GET THE WORK DONE. ¶7. (C) CABRAS CONTINUED UNFAZED: MUGABE HAS BEEN REPRESSIVE FOR 22 YEARS. IF WE EXCLUDE ZIMBABWE NOW, PEOPLE WILL ASK WHY. POLMINCOUNS AGREED THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE COMPLETELY EQUITABLE. CABRAS REITERATED THAT HE WANTED "IDEAS ABOUT ERITREA FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATION." THE COUNTRY IS STRATEGICALLY LOCATED AND COOPERATIVE IN THE PEACE PROCESS BUT REACTS NEGATIVELY TO PRESSURE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY. POLMINCOUNS SAID THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN ANY INDICATION THAT THE USG HAD THE SAME LEVEL OF CONCERN ABOUT THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN ERITREA CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ5627 PAGE 01 ROME 04613 02 OF 02 250033Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-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 STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /007W -------------- EC54D4 250033Z /21 R 231539Z SEP 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5951 INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004613 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR AF/E, DRL/BL, AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2012 TAGS: PREL ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER IT SADC ITPREL SADC SUBJECT: GOI: IF WE SANCTION ZIMBABWE, WHY NOT ERITREA? AS IN ZIMBABWE. -------------- COMMENT: WHY ERITREA? -------------- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 04613 02 OF 02 250033Z ¶8. (C) ERITREA WOULD HARDLY APPEAR TO BE THE SECOND-WORST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSER ON THE CONTINENT, BUT CABRAS' RESPONSE APPEARS BOTH A DEFLECTION OF AN UNWELCOME DEMARCHE AND AN ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON ERITREA POLICY. AS A FORMER COLONY OF ITALY, ERITREA IS MORE ON THE RADAR SCREEN IN ROME THAN IS ZIMBABWE. IN ADDITION, THE GOI IS PEEVED BECAUSE IN OCTOBER 2001, THE GOE EXPELLED THE GOI AMBASSADOR IN ASMARA AFTER HE PROTESTED (ON BEHALF OF THE EU) A NUMBER OF POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED ARRESTS. THE GOE CLAIMED HE WAS INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE. TEN DAYS LATER, WHEN AMEMBASSY ASMARA ISSUED ITS OWN CRITICISM OF THE ARRESTS, TWO LOCAL U.S. EMBASSY EMPLOYEES WERE ARRESTED ON SIMILAR CHARGES. END COMMENT. ¶9. (C) ACTION REQUEST: PLEASE PROVIDE UPDATE WE CAN SHARE WITH CABRAS ON THE USG APPROACH TOWARD ERITREA, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME04613 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL