MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000277 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 PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "Africa opposes war on Iraq" the pro-government weekly "The Sunday Mirror" dedicated its February 9 editorial to reiterating the anti-war positions taken by the African Union (AU) and former South African President, Nelson Mandela. Excerpts: ¶2. "Two days before American Secretary of State, Colin Powell presented his `evidence' of Iraq's supposed `material breach' of U. N. Resolution 1441, the African Union (AU) issued a declaration against the planned war on Iraq. The AU is of the opinion that military confrontation wit Iraq would be a destabilizing factor not only for the Middle East, but for the whole of Africa as well. Even after the much awaited and largely disappointing speech by Colin Powell, African leaders are not convinced that war on Iraq is necessary. In response to Powell, the South African government issued a statement warning the U. ¶S. not to rush into war, as such an action would be catastrophic. The African condemnation of the American war on Iraq has been strongly expressed by the former South African President, Nelson Mandela. The African statesman said that Powell's presentation was not convincing and that only the U.N. inspectors can determine whether or not Iraq possesses any weapons of mass destruction. Mandela summed up the general feeling of the anti-war group when he said: `One power with a president who has no foresight and cannot think properly is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust.'" SULLIVAN