MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000268 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 IRAQ; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "Stop acting headboy" the government-controlled daily "Chronicle" dedicated its February 6 editorial to urging the United States and Britain to "desist from attacking" Iraq, adding that only the United Nations Security Council has the mandate "to hunt down all nations" amassing weapons of mass destruction. Excerpts: ¶2. ". . .The Americans and their British cousins are already beating the war drums as they psyche up (sic) for a war with Iraq. They are alleging that President Saddam Hussein might be harboring weapons of mass destruction, a clear excuse to topple the Iraqi leader because he has refused to toe their line. Africa yesterday said no to war on Iraq. . . We applaud the AU position on Iraq and demand that the United States and Britain listen to the voice of reason and desist from attacking that country. It is only the United Nations Security Council which has the mandate to take drastic action on a nation if it is deemed necessary. . . While we do not support the building of weapons of mass destruction, we believe it is not the business of the U.S. and Britain to hunt down all nations that have these weapons, but that of the U.N. The naked truth and purpose of the American and British plan to attack Iraq appears to be clearly that of trying to promote their business interests. They want a change of government in that country in the same way they are trying to topple President Mugabe's government because of land reforms. We wish to remind them that the power to remove or retain a head of state in a country rests with the people of that country. The Americans and the British should leave the people of Iraq alone." SULLIVAN