MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 002096

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD
AF FOR RAYNOR
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 IRAQ; HARARE


1. Under headline "U. S. efforts on Iraq reflect crisis in
diplomatic ethics" the October 18 edition of the government-
controlled daily newspaper "Chronicle" (circulation 45 -
60,000) carried the following op-ed by Dr. Godfrey
Chikowore, Head, International Relations and Social
Development Studies, Institute of Development Studies,
University of Zimbabwe, in which he encourages the United
States to take the lead in consolidating "harmony and a
global culture of peaceful co-existence among sovereign
states." Excerpts:

". . .Having then unilaterally and literally ignored the
United Nations ruling not to invade Iraq, in the
contemporary, it would look like the Bush administration
seeks to come to terms with the universally acknowledged
diplomatic ethics to yet again seek a special ruling by the

U. N. to map up a draft Iraq constitution and subsequently
hold elections. Apparently the position adopted by the
Bush administration appears to be grossly inconsistent with
the stipulations of the U. N. Charter and its host of
Conventions on Human Rights and Democracy, Peace and
Security. Clearly, the U. S. position seeking a draft on
Iraq literally conflicts with the basic international laws
of respect for the national sovereignty of the Iraqis,
freedom of choice, that is self-expression and the freedom
of the Iraqis to equality with any other nationals
worldwide. The U. S.-generated situation currently
building up over the Iraq draft constitutes in both moral
and diplomatic terms a delicate multinational concern. .
.While the U. S. could by a great margin consolidate
harmony and a global culture of peaceful co-existence among
sovereign states, the diplomatically discordant standing
that it has adopted not only on Iraq, Afghanistan, the
Palestinian-Israeli crisis, the Great Lakes region of
Africa, and on Zimbabwe in particular, makes this world
even a much more unsafe place to live in. At least more
than ever before, there is need to aspire to `global
statesmanship' on the part of the current Bush
administration and its companion, the Blair administration
for the common good of mankind in the new millennium."

SULLIVAN