MEDIA REACTION POWELL ON ZIM CRISIS; HARARE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001317 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION POWELL ON ZIM CRISIS; HARARE ¶1. The op-ed column by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell in the "New York Times" has made front-page headlines in the mainstream print media. While the independent newspapers welcomed Secretary Powell's commentary and recommendations, the state-controlled newspapers and electronic media have used the op-ed to attack the United States Government, accusing it of wanting to bring about "regime change" in Zimbabwe. Apart from writing drawn-out articles concentrating on Secretary Powell's clear-cut and straight-talk article, the June 26 editions of the independent daily "The Daily News" and the government-controlled daily "The Herald" reproduced Secretary Powell's op-ed on their leader pages with full credit. The "Daily News" carried the op-ed on page 8 under headline "Freeing a nation from tyrant's grip," while "The Herald" carried the article - also on page 8 - under headline "U. S. revives anti-Zim campaign: Powell calls for coup." The paper also carried two letters on the same page - one was critical of Secretary Powell's position on Zimbabwe and the other labelled him as "a House Negro," under headlines "African Americans oppose action" and "Powell a House Negro." The letters were signed Queens, New York, and Friends of Zimbabwe, New York City, New York, respectively. Article excerpts follow: ¶2. Under headline "ZANU-PF blasts Powell: U. S. should stop interfering in Zim's internal affairs, says SA minister" the "Herald" (06/26) reports: "ZANU-PF yesterday said it was unfortunate that ¶U. S. Secretary of State Mr. Colin Powell, who should be balanced as a diplomat and soldier, was willing and ready to utter blatant falsehoods that reduce him to an ordinary liar proffering ludicrous scenarios which make him a crude international outlaw. The party's deputy national secretary for information and publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo, said Mr. Powell's falsehoods exonerated Americans who viewed him as a disgraceful Uncle Tom who always sang his master's voice to the detriment of social 
 justice and the rights of the people of color. `Nobody in ZANU-PF will ever join Powell and his kind in selling out. The use of lies and deception by Powell and Bush has not worked in Iraq where he wanted to mix it with oil. It will never ever work anywhere else and will certainly not mix with land in Zimbabwe,' said Professor Moyo, who is also the (junior) Minister of State for Information and Publicity. . .What is worse is that his source of information is Pius Ncube who is busy preaching tribalism in Zimbabwe. . .' South African Foreign Affairs spokesman Mr. Ronnie Mamoepa said the U. S. should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe because Zimbabweans were capable of solving their own problems. Mr. Mamaoepa told `The Herald' that not amount of pressure would force his country to change its stance on Zimbabwe. . . ." ¶3. Under headline "U. S. announces plans to oust Zimbabwean Govt." the government-controlled Bulawayo-based daily "Chronicle" (06/25) carried the following front-page article by Innocent Madonko, Special Projects Editor: "The U. S. Government yesterday announced its intention to foment an uprising in Zimbabwe through supporting opposition elements bent on ousting President Mugabe. . .In a thinly veiled threat to the government of Zimbabwe, Mr. Powell, using hawkish and bellicose language, said South Africa and other African countries should have `greater engagement' with Harare. . .Mr. Powell said . . .Mugabe should be overthrown so that a transitional government is put in place. . .His diatribe, coming just tow weeks before President George Bush's inaugural visit to Africa since he assumed power, is reportedly aimed at arm-twisting African states into isolating Zimbabwe in return for favors from Washington. . .The U. S. used similar hawkish language before invading Iraq and toppling President Saddam Hussein, claiming that he had weapons of mass destruction and was `cruel' to his people. . . . ." ¶4. Back to back issues of the independent daily "The Daily News" incorporated excerpts of Secretary Powell's op- ed in the lead stories carried in the June 25 and 26 editions under the following headlines: "Zimbabwe tops Bush's agenda"(06/25) and "No objections to unity government: ZANU PF" (06/26),respectively. ¶5. Under headline "No objections to unity government: ZANU PF" the "Daily News" (06/26) reports: "The ruling ZANU PF party yesterday said it had no objections to a government of national unity with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as the U. S. A. this week mounted fresh pressure on the government to negotiate with the MDC a solution to Zimbabwe's crisis. In an apparent climb-down, ZANU-PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira told `The Daily News' that his party was ready for a government of national unity with the MDC. Shamuyarira said: `We have had such governments in the 1970s and in 1987 with ZAPU. It is a tradition that we have always had and we are ready for that (with the MDC).' But Shamuyarira, who also sits in the ruling party's powerful Politburo, vehemently rejected demands by Washington for a transitional government that would be tasked to prepare for free and fair elections before American aid could be given to Harare. . . ." ¶6. Under headline "Zimbabwe tops Bush's agenda" the "Daily News" (06/25) carried the following article by Sydney Masamvu, Assistant Editor: "A quick resolution of the political impasse in Zimbabwe and the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD),the continent's economic blueprint, will top the agenda of U. S. President George Bush's first ever visit to Southern Africa on 9 July, diplomats disclosed yesterday. The diplomats spoke as American Secretary of State Colin Powell pledged Washington's full support for a transitional government in crisis- weary Zimbabwe, ratcheting up pressure on President Robert Mugabe to go after U. S. Senator Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the Sub-Committee on Africa, called for a regime change in Zimbabwe two weeks ago. . . ." ¶7. We are sending full articles to Washington via fax. SULLIVAN